Photo: Gavriil Grigorov/Reuters
Russia plans to use the next round of talks on ending the war in Ukraine to push for concessions from NATO, potentially demanding that the alliance reduce its military presence in Europe to 1997 levels, The Telegraph reports.
Such a move would mean withdrawing NATO forces from Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland. Finland joined the alliance in 2023.
According to diplomatic sources cited by the newspaper, the Kremlin may be willing to compromise on other issues if its key demands concerning Ukraine and NATO are met. These reportedly include limiting Ukraine’s sovereignty and halting NATO’s eastward expansion.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously described NATO’s expansion as one of the “root causes” of the war against Ukraine.
Last week, Russia agreed to hold trilateral technical talks involving US, Ukrainian and Russian representatives in Abu Dhabi next month. The agreement followed a prolonged pause in US-mediated negotiations.
Ukrainian and European officials have signaled their willingness to discuss broader European security arrangements after the war. The proposal was conveyed by US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff during a three-hour meeting with Putin in St. Petersburg last week.
However, European officials have stressed that their position on Russia’s demands remains unchanged. In January 2022, NATO agreed to discuss Moscow’s security concerns but rejected demands to withdraw troops and nuclear weapons from former Soviet states.
On October 21, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Kremlin had backed a proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukrainian, US and Russian negotiating teams.
Separately, talks involving the leaders of China, the United States and Russia on ending the war could take place in Shenzhen, China, on November 18–19, according to earlier reports. US officials have also identified two possible venues for the next trilateral negotiations.
On October 25, Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov said Russia was ready to resume trilateral talks after November 4.
