Russia warns US to stop NATO’s Eastward Expansion

NATO( North Atlantic Treaty Organization)

• It is a military alliance which was set up after the signing of the Washington Treaty on 4 April 1949 in Washington , U.S.
• It was set up to combat threats from the Communist countries led by the Soviet Union in Europe.
• After the breakup of the Soviet Union,Russia is considered to be the successor state of Russia.
• Initially there were 12 member countries but at present there are 30 member countries . There are two North American countries: US and Canada and 28 European Countries.
• Most recent member state added to NATO -North Macedonia on 27th March 2020.
• The NATO headquarters are located in Brussels, Belgium.

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)

OSCE is the world's largest security-oriented intergovernmental organization.

It was earlier called the Conference on Security and  Cooperation in Europe and was founded on 1 August 1975 at Helsinki, Finland.

Its name was changed to the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 1994.  Its mandate includes issues such as arms control, promotion of human rights, freedom of the press, and fair elections.

Secretariat - Vienna Austria

Minsk Peace Accord

The Minsk Accord is an agreement which seeks to end conflict in Ukraine. The Ukrainian region of Crimea voted to join Russia in 2014. It was opposed by Ukraine but was supported by Russia and Russian provided military support to the Crimean leading to the defeat of the Ukrainian forces.

To bring peace in the region an agreement was signed on Ukraine, consisting of Ukraine, the Russian Federation, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) along with mediation by the leaders of France and Germany. 

The agreement was signed in Minsk, Capital of Belarus.  It aimed at resolving the conflict with pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine but never got enforced.