Russia demands NATO pullback to 1997 borders at Abu Dhabi talks

At talks in Abu Dhabi, Russian representatives demanded that NATO be pulled back to its 1997 borders. This was reported by an American newspaper that obtained a copy of the document containing Moscow's demands. They concern, among others, Czechia, Poland and Hungary, which joined the alliance in 1999, as well as other countries in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe.

According to the paper, Russian officials made it clear that they regard the Cold War and the alliance led by the Soviet Union at the time, known as the Warsaw Pact, as a model of what Europe could look like once the war in Ukraine ends. At the same time, the Russian negotiators said, President Vladimir Putin is “ready to show some flexibility.”

What Moscow demands from NATO

The document repeats Russia's demands from December 2021: the withdrawal of NATO troops from the alliance's eastern flank, including Poland and the Baltic states. It also calls for a ban on any further NATO enlargement and an end to “any military activity” in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

It also envisions Finland leaving the alliance. As part of a European security architecture, it proposes bilateral treaties between Moscow and each country affected by the Russian demands.

Nuclear weapons and aid to Ukraine

Russia demands an end to NATO's nuclear-sharing arrangements, which allow the American nuclear arsenal to be used to defend Europe. In addition, France and the United Kingdom would not be allowed to use their own nuclear deterrents to defend European allies.

Moscow insists on a complete halt to Western military aid to Ukraine, including deliveries of weapons, equipment and defense products. Russia would approve Ukraine's accession to the EU only if the country is excluded from the bloc's common defense policy.

Under the “new security arrangement,” Russia would like to obtain the currently occupied Ukrainian territories and all of Donbas, although it does not fully control it: this also applies to the Luhansk region. Moscow also proposes demilitarizing Mykolaiv and Odesa, supposedly so that Ukraine cannot use them as bases. Agreements on freedom of navigation in the Black and Baltic seas are also envisioned.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz