CO 68 3 714 5 IFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2017-13804 Doc No C06837145 Date 10 19 2021 · vv vv1 • PRIVACY CHANNEL MESSAGE AMBASSADOR OR CHARGE I'S REQUESTED TO DELIVER THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE FROM HE PRESIDENT TO PRESIDENT YELTSIN AT THE EARLIEST OPPORTUNITY T ERE WILL BE NO SIGNED ORIGINAL BEGIN TEXT _ ' DEAR BORIS tJf r It RELEASE IN FULL V _ o- THANK YOU FOR YOVR LETTER OF NOVEMBER 30 I WANTED TO BE SURE 'l'O RESPOND BECAUSE I BELIEVE I'l' IS SO IMPORTANT 1'HAT WE SlAY CLOSELY COORDINATED ON TWO KEY ISSUES NATO AND' NAGORNO-KARABAKR I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU UNDERSTAND MY POSITION ON BOTH QUESTIONS BEFORE SEE EACH OTHER IN BUDAPEST ON MONDAY _ I MUST TELL YOU FRANKLY HOW SURPRISED AND DISAPPOINTED I WAS lO LEARN OF ANDREI KOZYREV'S ACTIONS· IN BRUSSELS ON DECEMBER 1 WHEN WE MET IN WASHINGTON I EXPLAINED IN DETAIL ouR· PLANS REGARDING A NEW SECURITY ARCHITECTURE INCLUDING THE ISSUE OF NATO EXPANSION SINCE THAT TIME WE HAVE ADHERED ASSIDUOUSLY 1'0 THE PRINCIPLES ON WHICH YOU ANO I AGREED NO SURPRrSES HIGH PRIORITY ON MAINTAINING -- AND STRENGTHENING -- THE O' S •RUSSIA PARTNERSHIP AND CAREFUL INCLUSIVE TRANSPARENT DELIBERATIONS TAKING FOLL ACCOUNT OF THE OPlNION AND INTERESTS OF RUSSIA THESE PRINCIPLES REFLECT THE SPIRIT OF THE RELATIONSHIP THAT YOO AND I HAVE DEVELOPED BOT I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THESE PRINCIPLES WERE WELL SERVED WHEN AT A MEETING ARRANGED AT RUSSIA'S REQUEST TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR ADHERENCE TO THE PARTNERSHIP FOR PEACE ANO TO BEGXN A NEW STAGE lN RUSSIA'S RELATIONSHIP WITR NATO ANDREI UNEXPECTEDLY STATED RUSSIA'S RELUCTANCE TO TAKE THESE STEPS I WOULD HAVE HOPED THAT SUCH SERIOUS RESERVATIONS CQULD BE ADDRESSED FIRST tN PRIVATE MY EXPERTS BRIEFED YO IN-· DETAIL _ AND WELL IN ADVANCE ABOUT OUR PROPOSAL FOR THE NAC COMMUNIQUE • SO IN THAT RESPECT TOo · ANDREI BAD NO REASON FOR SURPRISE• MUCH LESS AN UNPLEASANT ONE ' I ' • • AT THE MOMENT WE RECEIVED THE NEWS FROM BRUSSELS OF ANDREI'S ACTION I WAS AT'WORK ON A RESPONSE TO rouR LETTER OF KOVEMBER 30 THAT LETTER AND ANPREI'S STATEMENTS IN BRUSSELS REFLECT A MISUNDERSTANDING OF OUR POSITION ON THE FUTURE OF NATO · IT IS CRITICAL THAT WE CLEAR UP THIS MISUNDERSTANDING AS SOON AS POSSIBLE REFERENCES IN YOUR LETTER TO •SPEEDING OP THE EXPANSION OF NATO • •ADOPTION OF AN EXPEDITED TIMETABLE • AND •PLANS TO START NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE CANDIDATES• ALL SUGGEST AN INACCURATE VIEW OF MY APPROACH ON THIS ISSUE ANO OF TH£ PROPOSALS THAT SECRETARY CHRISTOPHER MADE TO THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL NAC ON DECEMBER 1 WHICH TH£ NAC ENDORSED AS I LAST WROTE YOU ON NOVE BER 28 ' OUR INTENTION AT THE NAC WAS TO BEGIN A PROCESS UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2017-13804 Doc No C06837145 Date 10 19 2021 c O6 8 3 714 5 IFIED 12 0119 U S Department of State Case No F-2017-13804 Doc No C06837145 Date 10 19 2021 20 19 'l 202 569160 RliS-Liii R-£U Afl S OOJ1 uu OF EXAMINING THE •How• AND WHY OF NATO MEMBERSHIP NOT THE QUESTION OF WHO·WILL ENTER NATO OR WHEN WE DID NOT THEREFORE CONSIDER AT THE DECEMBER l NATO MEETING A TIMETABLE OR LIST OF CANDIDATE NATIONS OR INITIATE ALLIANCE WORK ON THESE Q STIONS THE DISCUSSIONS WITH INTERESTED PARTNERS THAT WILL TAKE PLACE NEXT YEAR AFTER NATO COMPLETES ITS INTERNAL DELIBERATIONS WILL NOT BE MNEGOTIATIONSw OR ACCESSION TO THE ATLANTIC ALLIANCE BUT A PRESENTATION OF NATO THINKING ON THE PURPOSES OF NATO EXPANSION AND TBE REQUIREMENTS OF MEMBERSHIP I BELIEVE THAT CHRIS EX-PLAINED THE EVOLUTIO NARY NATURE OF OUR APPROACH TO NATO EXPANSION TO ANDREI IN BRUSSELS I KNOW THAT ANDREI ASKED FOR A CLARIFICATION OF NATO POLICY YESTERDAY I HOPE IN LIGHT OF MY CLARIFICATION TO YOU TH T IT WILL NOW SE POSSIBLE TO HAVE ANDREI SIGN THESE DOCUMENTS AS WE ·HAD 'EXPECTED OUR APPROACH TO NATO HAS ALSO SEEN COORDINATED CLOSELY WITH OUR EFFORTS TO STRENGTHEN THE BROADER INCLUSIVE SECURITY STRUCTURES WHICH ARE CENTERED ON THE CSCE I PUT FORWARD IN MY RECENT MESSAGE TO YOO AND OTHER CSCE COLLEAGUES AN INITIATIVE TO STRENGTHEN· THE ' ROLE AND -FUNCTIONS OF THE CSCE WE ALSO CAN AGREE· WITH PROPOSALS TO CHANGE THE NAME OF·THE CSCE TO THE •ORGANIZATION FOR SECURITY AND COOPERATION IN EUROPE THROUGH THESE STEPS WE ARE MOVING TOWAA 0S THE STRONGER ROLE FOR CSCE WHICH YOU AND I DESIRE ON NAGORNO·KARABAKH BORIS I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE YOU MY SENSE ON HOW WE SHOULD PROCEED IN BUDAPEST ON MONDAY ACTING TOGETHER AS WE AGREED IN SEPTEMBER WE BELIEVE· THAT THE CSCE ALREADY POSSESSES THE MANDATE FOR PEACE KEEPING THIS DECISION WAS TAKEN BY HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT AT THE HELSINKI SUMMIT AND IS IN FOLL ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF ARTICLE VIII OF TijE ON CHARTER IN MY JUDGMENT THE BUDAPEST SUMMIT REPRE$ENT A· CRUCIA OP ORTONITY FOR OS TO DEMONSTRATE OUR FAITH lk THE MANDATE WE HAVE VEN HE CSCE BY ADVANCING THE PEACE PROCESS IN NAGORNO·KARABAkH · WE CAN 00 THIS BY INCLUDING IN THE FINAL STATEMENT AT THE SUMMIT A CALL FOR DEPLOYING A CSCE·LED MULTINATIONAL PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN NAGORNO tARASAKH THIS PAST SEPTEMBER IN WASHINGTON ·wE HAD LONG DISCUSSIONS ON HOW BEST TO ACHIEVE OUR MUTUAL OBJECTIVE IN NAGORNQ·KARABAKH YOU EXPRESSED AT THAT TIME CERTAIN RESERVA IONS ABOUT CSCE'S ABILITY TO RAISE AND MAINTAIN A PEACEKEEPING FORCE I BELIEVE THAT DEVELOPMENTS SINCE THEN SHOULD LAY· TO REST YOUR RESERVATIONS THE CSCE MINSK GROUP HAS ·woRKEO HARD TO ASSEMBLE POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTORS TO A MULTINATIONAL PEACEKEEPING fORCE THIRTY-NINE STATES HAVE OFFERED STRONG POLITICAL SUPPORT ANO ORE THAN 20 MEMBER STATES HAVE ALREADY STEPPED FORWARD WITH OFFERS Of TROOPS OR RESOURCES IF THE SU L'iIT ENDORSES A PEACEKEEPING UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2017-13804 Doc No C06837145 Date 10 19 2021 CO 683714 5 SIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2017-13804 Doc No C06837145 Date 10 19 2021 l OPERATION I AM CERTAIN ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTORS WILL STEP FORWARD THESE COUNTRIES ARE PREPARED TO WORK WITH RUSSIA TO CREATE A CSCE-LEp MULTINATIONAL PEACEKEEPING OPERATION AS WE DISCUSSED IN WASHINGTON MY VIEW IS THAT THE RUSSIAN NIS COMPONENT COULD COMPRISE OP TO so PERCENT or iHE FORCE YOUR COMMITMENT TO CSCE AND IN MAINTAINING PEACE IN THE REGION WOULD BE EVIDENT TO ALL FROM OOR LENGTHY EXCHANGES ANO THOSE OF OUR SUBORDINATES I AM _AWARE OF YOUR INTEREST IN A POSSIBLE UN ROLE' IN THE NAGORNOKARABAKH PEACEKEEPIN OPERATION WE ARE PREPARED TO SUPPORT YOU IN A NUMBER OF WAYS WE ARE WILLING TO INTRODUCE WITH YOU A RESOLUTION AT ut· gN SE URITY COUNCIL THAT WELCOMES ANO SU PORTS A CSCE OPERATION wt ARE ALSO WILLING TO ENHANCE THE CSCE EFFORT BY SUPPORTING T PROVISION OF ON-TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE CSCE ON PEACEKEEPING IN SHORT I BELIEVE WE HAVE IN PLACE ALL THE ELEMENTS NECESSARY TO TAKE A MAJOR STEP FORWARD ON NAGORNO·KARABAKH BORIS RUSSIAN ·MEDIATION HAS CONTRIBUTED SUBSTANTIALLY TO NARROWING THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE PARTIES AND HELPING TO ESTABLISH THE CURRENT CEASE FIRE I WOULD EXPECT THAT RUSSIA'S KEY AND ACTIVE ROLE IN PURSING A RESOLUTION TO THE CONFLICT WILL CONTIN t E I HOPE YOU WILL JOIN ME IN AGREEING AT BUDAPEST TO TAKE THIS PEACE PROCESS TO THE NEXT STAGE DOING SO WILL UNDERSCORE THE CSCE'S GROWING STATURE S AN ORGANIZATION THAT CAN TACK LE DIFFICULT SECURITY ISSUES ANO WILL HIGHLIGHT THE BENEFITS TO-EUROPEAN SECURITY THAT RESULT FROM OUR STRONG COMMITMENT TO PARTNERSHIP 1 I-WOULD LIKE TO HEAR YOUR RESPONSE TO THIS PROPOSAL AS SOON AS POSSIBLE SO THAT WE CAN AGREE ON A COMMON APPROACH BEFORE BUDAPEST ·· SINCERELY BILL END TEXT UNCLASSIFIED U S Department of State Case No F-2017-13804 Doc No C06837145 Date 10 19 2021