Russia is insisting that Britain and France refrain from using their nuclear forces to protect other European countries. The demand is included in a document dated November 10, drawn up by Russian negotiators as part of proposals to end the war in Ukraine, The Telegraph and The Washington Post report.
The document also calls for NATO to reduce its military presence in Europe to 1997 levels. This would affect countries that joined the Alliance after that date, including Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and the Baltic states. Moscow is also demanding an end to Western arms deliveries to Ukraine, guarantees that Kyiv will not become a NATO member, as well as a ban on the deployment of foreign troops and military facilities on Ukrainian territory.
The Conditions Go Beyond the War in Ukraine
The Russian proposals go further than the demands put forward by Moscow in 2021. At the time, the Kremlin mainly called for an end to the US nuclear presence in Europe. The current document also includes Britain’s and France’s nuclear capabilities, which, according to the Russian position, should not be used to protect allies without their own nuclear weapons.
Britain has a nuclear deterrent based on Trident ballistic missiles carried by nuclear-powered submarines. The British government describes the country’s nuclear forces as a contribution to the security of the United Kingdom and its allies. France also maintains its own nuclear arsenal.
Moscow would allow Ukraine to join the European Union, but only if it does not participate in the bloc’s common defense policy. The proposals provide for Russia to retain control over Ukrainian territories occupied during the war.
The Negotiations Concern Europe’s Future Security
The issue was raised during talks in Abu Dhabi on November 10 and 11, while on November 12, US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met with Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Russian presidential adviser Yuri Ushakov said that Moscow would update its 2021 proposals with “new considerations.”
Putin told the American representatives that the presence of European troops in Ukraine following a possible ceasefire would be “absolutely unacceptable.” According to him, Russia would view such a deployment as a security threat and as a legitimate target, and the war would start again.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Moscow was using the negotiations to once again raise the issue of borders and the military balance on the continent. “Putin’s desire to change the borders in Europe is a fact,” Zelensky said.
European countries agreed that representatives of Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Poland, together with representatives of the European institutions, would participate in future negotiations. So far, there has been no confirmation that the Russian conditions have been accepted by the US, Ukraine or the European governments.
Sources: telegraph.co.uk, washingtonpost.com, apnews.com