NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday that the organization is committed to a successful conversation with Russia, but that it will not compromise on fundamental security matters, such as the countries' right to join the alliance.

At a briefing following a virtual meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers, Stoltenberg said: "It was a very strong and unified message from all allies today."

NATO Secretary-General continued, "We need to engage in dialogue in a good faith and actually do whatever we can, make every effort to ensure a political path forward, but at the same time, all our allies also sent a very clear message that we will not compromise on core principles, including right for every nation to decide its own path."

On December 17, Russia presented NATO and the US with security guarantees aimed at preventing the alliance from expanding eastward and prohibiting the deployment of intermediate and short-range missiles within range of each other's territory, among other things.

On January 10, Moscow and Washington will hold talks on security assurances, followed by a Russia-NATO Council meeting to discuss the matter on January 12, and a summit between Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe the next day.

Europe should be included in Ukraine talks: EU Commission, France

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission's chief, said on Friday that efforts to address tensions between Russia and Ukraine must include Europe.

Von der Leyen told a press conference in Paris ahead of crucial security talks between the US and Russia next week: "One thing is clear: no solution without Europe. Whatever the solution, Europe has to be involved."

Speaking alongside von der Leyen, French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized that the US-Russia negotiations were a great step forward, but that they would have no impact on the "European security architecture" which was "up to us to build."

West possibly desires a 'small war' in Ukraine: Lavrov

On December 27, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an exclusive interview for the Soloviev Live YouTube channel that the West is considering staging a "small war" in Ukraine and blaming it on Moscow to impose sanctions and weaken Russia's competitive advantages.

Russia’s senior diplomat said that he does not rule out the possibility that there is a desire to fuel militaristic tendencies in Ukraine to "stage a ‘small war' and then accuse us and impose new sanctions to suppress our competitive advantages."