Russia demands that NATO not only refrain from admitting Ukraine, but also expel Finland from the Alliance and abandon the deployment of NATO military bases in the Baltic states. This was discussed during negotiations by Russian authorities in unofficial talks on ending the Russian-Ukrainian war, Bild reports, as cited by UNN.
Details
According to media reports, the Russians are demanding full control over the entire Donbas, including territories controlled by Ukraine. The Russian plan also envisages abandoning the deployment of NATO military bases in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as Finland’s withdrawal from the alliance.
In addition, the Russians are demanding that Ukraine officially renounce integration into NATO, enshrine non-aligned status in the Constitution of Ukraine, and "demilitarize" the seaports of the Mykolaiv and Odesa regions. In fact, this would mean that Ukraine could not use them as naval bases.
At the same time, the Kremlin’s demands concern not only Ukraine, the Baltic states and Finland, but also Moldova and belarus. In particular, Moscow proposes turning Moldova into a federal state consisting of Moldova itself, as well as the autonomous region of Gagauzia and the unrecognized Transnistria. If the country joins the EU or Moldova unites with Romania, Transnistria and Gagauzia must be given the opportunity to hold "referendums on independence."
In exchange, the russian federation proposes withdrawing its troops from the Transnistrian region, where they have been stationed since 1992. In addition, Moscow proposes removing nuclear weapons from belarus and abandoning the deployment of intermediate-range missiles there.
However, it should be noted that this is only one of the proposals being discussed in unofficial negotiating circles.
Additionally
The Kremlin is not voicing such ideas regarding Moldova for the first time. Back in 2003, Dmitry Kozak (then first deputy, and later deputy head of the administration of the president of the Russian Federation), acting on Putin’s instructions, proposed that Moldova and Transnistria sign a memorandum on the final cessation of the conflict in the region. This plan provided for:
- the creation of an asymmetric federal state consisting of Moldova, Transnistria and Gagauzia, with broad rights for the latter entities;
- Moldova’s neutrality and, de facto, the dissolution of its
armed forces;
- the presence of Russian troops in Transnistria for 20
years as "peacekeepers";
- granting the Russian language equal status
alongside the Romanian language.
However, the then president of Moldova, Communist Party representative Vladimir Voronin, refused to sign the plan under pressure from the opposition.
Reminder
The United States appealed to Russia to prepare a new proposal for a future security agreement with Europe that would envisage steps by the russian federation aimed at reducing tensions on the continent.