Russia seeks profound changes in European security architecture as a condition for reaching a peace agreement with Ukraine. According to a document by Russian negotiators, provided by the American newspaper The New York Times, Moscow requires that Great Britain and France give up their commitment to defend their European allies with nuclear weapons.
The document, dated 10 November, contains a series of conditions Russia seeks to meet before accepting an agreement to end the war in Ukraine. According to the report, requirements are not only limited to the conflict between Moscow and Kiev but also aimed at reshaping security agreements across Europe.
One of the main requirements relates to the withdrawal of British and French nuclear protection from other European countries. In this way, European NATO members would lose one of their important security guarantees in the face of possible Russian aggression.
But the Kremlin’s demands go further. The document envisions NATO forces withdrawing to positions held in 1997, ahead of the alliance’s expansion towards Eastern Europe and the Baltic states.
Also, Moscow calls for the break-up of Western military aid to Ukraine, including supply of weapons and military equipment, as well as the removal of Kiev from ambition to join NATO.
Under the document, Russia could accept Ukraine’s membership in the European Union, provided the country stays out of common defence agreements.
These requirements bring to focus the conditions Moscow had presented in December 2021, just months before the start of Ukraine’s full occupation in February 2022.
The proposals come at a moment when diplomatic efforts to end the war have intensified. Representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the United States held talks in Abu Dhabi earlier this month.
However, the content of the document suggests that Moscow requires broad concessions in the area of security, and not just an agreement to prevent fighting.
Russian demands also take on special importance due to European countries’ concerns about the United States’ commitment to NATO under Donald Trump’s administration. The American president has repeatedly questioned the coalition’s role and has urged European countries to step up defence spending.
In this climate, European leaders have voiced concerns that Ukraine could face pressure to accept territorial and security concessions, leaving the country exposed to further Russian aggression.
For the Kremlin, weakening Britain and France’s nuclear guarantees, as well as limiting NATO’s military presence in Eastern Europe, would constitute a significant change in the safety balances on the continent.
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Source Layer: Signal
