Russia has handed the United States a new list of demands regarding Ukraine and European security that almost entirely repeats the Kremlin’s ultimatum from December 2021, issued shortly before the full-scale invasion. Moscow wants to limit the West’s military cooperation not only with Ukraine but also with a number of countries in Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. The New York Times reports this, UNN writes.
Details
According to the publication, the Russian side laid out its demands in a document dated November 10, two days before the visit of American representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to the Kremlin.
The document is unsigned and belongs to the non-paper format—an unofficial diplomatic document that sets out a state’s position but does not create legal obligations for it.
The New York Times received it from one of the participants in the negotiations, while another source confirmed the document’s authenticity.
The Kremlin has effectively returned to its 2021 ultimatum
As the publication notes, the new demands differ little from the draft treaty that Russia published in December 2021.
At the time, Moscow demanded that NATO’s military infrastructure be returned to the positions it occupied before 1997, effectively limiting the Alliance’s military presence in the countries of the former Warsaw Pact.
Now the Kremlin is again insisting on restricting Western countries’ military cooperation with states that were formerly part of the USSR or the Soviet bloc.
At the same time, Russia has expanded its demands regarding nuclear weapons. Whereas in 2021 they primarily concerned the United States, Moscow now wants to extend similar restrictions to the United Kingdom and France.
Ukraine could be banned from receiving Western weapons and defense cooperation with the EU
A separate provision of the Russian document calls for a complete ban on the supply to Ukraine of any military-related products from Western countries.
At the same time, the Kremlin allows for Ukraine to join the European Union, but only on condition that Kyiv does not participate in the EU’s defense component.
The New York Times’ sources suggest that such stringent demands may be Putin’s initial negotiating position. Subsequently, the Russian leader could potentially agree to certain concessions while discussing a new architecture for European security.