A decade-old argument has returned to the table in a new form: a two-page, unsigned paper circulating in Abu Dhabi that echoes Moscow's pre-invasion demands of December 2021. It asks NATO to retreat to the alignment it held in 1997 and to stop arming Ukraine, a request that would reshape the lives of Europe's eastern frontier states as the war enters its fifth year. Coming as American envoys seek an end to the fighting, it reveals how much of the conflict is still a fight over who gets to shape the continent's security, and whether those most affected by it will be allowed to speak.
Russia Revives 1997 NATO Pullback Demand as Trump Envoys Push Ukraine Talks
The war in Ukraine has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths over five years, according to the article.
Russia has revived its 2021 demands, sometimes word for word
Mark
Why does a 1997 line on a map matter so much?
Mimi
Because 1997 is before NATO took in countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Pulling back to it would thin out the defenses of Poland and the Baltic states, the members closest to Russia.
Mark
And Russia is saying this out loud now?
Mimi
In a paper handed around in Abu Dhabi, yes, echoing its December 2021 demands, sometimes word for word.
Luke
Worth noting it's a non-paper. No letterhead, no signature. It shows Russia's opening position, not a formal offer.
Mark
Is there any sign Moscow might bend?
Mimi
Two people involved said Russian officials signaled Mr. Putin could be flexible. But Ushakov said afterward that Putin still sees the 2021 proposal as reflecting Russia's vision.
Luke
And that flexibility claim comes from anonymous sources. Nothing public confirms it.
Mark
What's new compared with 2021?
Mimi
The nuclear piece. Russia now wants France and Britain to rule out using their weapons to protect other European states, an idea being discussed because of doubts about American commitment.
Luke
The reporting doesn't say whether France or Britain have responded. That's unknown.
Mark
So where do Europeans stand?
Mimi
Tusk called the terms a direct threat to Poland, and Kushner said a deal can't be concluded without Europeans at the table.
Der Puls
- A two-page, unsigned Russian non-paper dated Nov. 10 revives the 2021 demand that NATO pull back to its 1997 borders, and the echo of that earlier ultimatum is hard to miss.
- The paper goes further than before, asking France and Britain to renounce using their nuclear weapons to defend other European states at the very moment those ideas are gaining ground in Europe.
- Envoys Kushner and Witkoff are navigating a narrow path, pressing Moscow on concrete steps while Putin signals the proposal still reflects Russia's vision for Europe's security.
- European leaders, including Poland's Tusk, are rejecting the terms outright and insisting that no deal about Europe can be made without Europeans in the room.
- With Trump scheduled to meet Putin in Shenzhen next week, the question is whether Europe gets a seat before the next decisive moment arrives.
A decade-old argument has returned to the table in a new form: a two-page, unsigned paper circulating in Abu Dhabi that echoes Moscow's pre-invasion demands of December 2021. It asks NATO to retreat to the alignment it held in 1997 and to stop arming Ukraine, a request that would reshape the lives of Europe's eastern frontier states as the war enters its fifth year. Coming as American envoys seek an end to the fighting, it reveals how much of the conflict is still a fight over who gets to shape the continent's security, and whether those most affected by it will be allowed to speak.
A two-page paper with no letterhead and no signature circulated among negotiators in Abu Dhabi this week, and it read, in places, like a document from December 2021. Dated Nov. 10, it is a non-paper, a way of setting out one side's views without formally owning them. A copy obtained by The New York Times, confirmed as authentic by a second source, shows Russia reviving its pre-invasion demand that NATO withdraw to its 1997 positions.
The demand first appeared two months before Russia's full invasion of Ukraine. Now, after five years of war and hundreds of thousands of deaths, Moscow has put it back on the table as President Trump's envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, try to broker an end to the fighting. The paper would bar further NATO expansion, pull alliance forces back from Poland and the Baltic states, end Western arms to Ukraine, and let Kyiv join the European Union only if it stayed out of the bloc's common defense policy. It also goes further than 2021 by asking France and Britain to rule out using their own nuclear weapons to protect other European countries, an idea gaining traction amid doubts about American commitment.
In Abu Dhabi, Russian officials held up the Cold War order and the Warsaw Pact as a model, arguing that spheres of influence had kept the peace. American and NATO commanders pressed them to explain their concerns. Afterward, the envoys met Putin in Moscow, and Mr. Kushner spoke of progress on long-term security, while Putin's adviser said the 2021 vision still stood.
In Dublin, Prime Minister Tusk of Poland called the terms a direct threat to his country, and other European leaders insisted that Europe's future cannot be settled without Europe at the table. Next week, Trump meets Putin in Shenzhen, and whether Europeans are included before then will shape what comes next.
A two-page paper with no letterhead and no signature circulated among negotiators in Abu Dhabi this week, and it read, in places, like a document from December 2021. Dated Nov. 10, it is what diplomats call a non-paper, a way of setting out one side's views without formally owning them. According to a copy obtained by The New York Times from a person involved in the talks, and confirmed as authentic by a second person with knowledge of the negotiations, it revives Russia's pre-invasion demand that NATO pull its forces back to the positions it held in 1997.
The demand first surfaced two months before Russia invaded Ukraine in early 2022. Now, after five years of war and hundreds of thousands of deaths, Moscow has put it on the table again, in some cases word for word, as President Trump's envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, try to broker an end to the fighting. The Abu Dhabi session was the first face-to-face meeting of U.S., Russian and Ukrainian officials since February, and the first since the administration began a fall push to address Russia's complaints about European security.
The paper asks NATO countries to rule out any further expansion and any military activity in Ukraine and elsewhere in Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia. It calls for pulling NATO troops and bases back to the alliance's 1997 borders, a step that would weaken its most exposed members, Poland and the former Soviet Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. It foresees an end to the supply of any Western weapons and military equipment to Ukraine, and it would accept Ukraine joining the European Union only if Kyiv stayed out of the bloc's common defense policy.
In one respect, Moscow has gone further than it did in 2021. Then, Russia wanted NATO to abandon its nuclear sharing arrangements, which let U.S. allies in Europe benefit from American nuclear protection. Now it also wants France and Britain to rule out using their own nuclear weapons to defend other European countries. That idea has been actively discussed in Europe over the past year, partly out of doubt about Mr. Trump's willingness to come to NATO's aid.
The two people involved in the talks, who spoke anonymously, said the paper is an opening position and that Russian officials signaled Mr. Putin could still be flexible. But in Abu Dhabi the Russians also held up the Cold War, and the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact, as a model for postwar Europe. They argued that separate American and Soviet spheres of influence, and the communications and understandings that accompanied them, had reduced the risk of conflict. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich, the top U.S. commander in Europe and senior NATO commander, attended and had a lively exchange with the Russians, pressing them to explain their concerns, according to two people in the room. His spokesman, Capt. Arlo Abrahamson, said the general was there to give military advice to U.S. leaders and declined further comment.
A U.S. official said Mr. Witkoff and Mr. Kushner told the Russians that much has changed since December 2021, urged them to look forward, and said they were open to proposals including concrete Russian steps to reduce tensions. After Abu Dhabi, the envoys met Mr. Putin in Moscow on Thursday. Mr. Kushner said on camera that the sides had made progress on long-term security. Afterward Yuri Ushakov, Mr. Putin's foreign policy adviser, told reporters that Mr. Putin had described the 2021 proposal as still reflecting Russia's vision of the pillars of an indivisible security architecture. A Putin spokesman declined to comment on the paper.
The envoys then flew to Dublin to brief President Volodymyr Zelensky. Mr. Kushner said afterward that the deal cannot be concluded without Europeans at the table. Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland, also in Dublin, said accepting Russia's conditions would mean a direct threat to Poland's security and called them unacceptable to Ukraine and above all to Europe. Luc Frieden, the prime minister of Luxembourg, said it was natural for the Americans to talk to Russians and Ukrainians together, but that Europe's future cannot be discussed without Europe present.
The paper also shows that the economic inducements Mr. Kushner and Mr. Witkoff have floated have not yet bought concessions, and critics worry Washington could end up enabling Mr. Putin's effort to restore a Soviet-era sphere of influence. Next week Mr. Putin is due to meet Mr. Trump in Shenzhen, China, at the Asia-Pacific economic forum, their second meeting of Mr. Trump's second term. Whether Europeans have a seat in the talks by then is the thing to watch.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
Accepting Russia's conditions would mean a direct threat to Poland's security.— Prime Minister Donald Tusk of Poland
We cannot conclude this deal without Europeans being at the table.— Jared Kushner, Trump envoy
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