Russia broadens security demands from West, seeking to curb U.S. and NATO influence on borders

MOSCOW — Russia connected Friday spelled retired its demands for sweeping caller information guarantees from the United States and NATO, demanding pledges that would halt NATO eastward enlargement and artifact U.S. subject ties with erstwhile Soviet states.

The cardinal tenets of Russia “sphere of influence” doctrine — including demands for an effectual veto connected different nations’ overseas and information policies — person repeatedly been dismissed arsenic non-starters by NATO officials. A elder Biden medication authoritative described immoderate Russia’s demands arsenic “unacceptable” to Washington and said Moscow “knows that.”

But the latest announcement by the Kremlin underscored its escalating confrontation with the West implicit Ukraine, which Russia views arsenic portion of its governmental orbit. It besides raised worries among analysts that Moscow is making requests it knows the United States volition not hold to make a pretext for imaginable subject enactment against Ukraine erstwhile those demands are spurned.

Russia published 2 lists of demands — to Washington and NATO — the second calling for the removal of each NATO subject infrastructure installed successful Eastern European countries aft 1997, efficaciously seeking to rework the consequences of the Soviet Union’s illness successful 1991 that near Russia weakened for years.

The demands connected NATO would besides forestall the confederation carrying retired immoderate subject enactment extracurricular its territory successful Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.

A elder Biden medication official, during a briefing with reporters connected Friday, dismissed immoderate of Russia’s demands arsenic “unacceptable” for the United States and said it was unhelpful to behaviour the negotiations successful public.

The authoritative said the United States volition not compromise connected cardinal principles connected which European information is built, including the close of each countries “to determine their ain aboriginal and their ain overseas policy, escaped from extracurricular interference.”

“There are immoderate things successful those documents that the Russians cognize volition beryllium unacceptable. You know, they cognize that,” the authoritative said, speaking connected information of anonymity to sermon a delicate diplomatic matter. “But determination are different things that we are prepared to enactment with and merit immoderate discussion. That said, we volition bash this with our allies and partners.”

The authoritative did not springiness details connected what could beryllium connected the array for negotiations, but issues specified arsenic limb deployments and subject exercises person been portion of erstwhile talks.

Russia’s subject buildup adjacent Ukraine has raised Western alarm that President Vladimir Putin whitethorn beryllium weighing a caller onslaught connected Ukraine, wherever Kyiv’s forces person battled Russian-backed separatists since 2014 successful a struggle that has claimed astir 14,000 lives. Russia denies it plans immoderate determination crossed the border, but has utilized the situation to property its demands that Ukraine remains retired of NATO.

In a video gathering past week, President Biden warned Putin that Russia would look pugnacious caller sanctions, successful the lawsuit of a subject escalation against Ukraine. The European Union is besides debating imaginable caller sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine.

Russia’s request that NATO barroom the admittance of Ukraine, Georgia oregon immoderate different state connected NATO’s eastbound flank has agelong been ruled retired by the alliance.

“Moscow has not lone been asking for things it cannot get, but successful a mode they cognize volition guarantee they cannot attain them. Serious negotiations are done down closed doors. Something is precise incorrect with this picture,” tweeted subject expert Michael Kofman, of the CNA information deliberation tank, adding that Russia’s mounting demands “should marque 1 pessimistic astir the trajectory.”

The woody Russia seeks with the United States — which is definite to beryllium rejected by Washington — would importantly weaken Ukraine, forcing it to wantonness its aspirations to articulation NATO, and cutting Kyiv disconnected from the U.S. subject assistance and weapons.

Russia’s lawman overseas minister, Sergei Ryabkov, amplified the unit from Moscow, calling for urgent enactment to statesman talks immediately.

“There is nary readiness to adjacent participate into negotiations from the different side, but let’s spot what happens next,” helium said.

In an interrogation with The Washington Post connected Friday successful Kyiv, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba questioned wherefore Russia released its proposals to the public.

“Does it recognize that these initiatives are not feasible and truthful they bash not expect immoderate affirmative absorption from the United States, oregon bash they privation to crook these negotiations into a large PR campaign?” Kuleba said.

He added that Russia dictating Ukraine’s narration with Western powers was “out of the question” and expected NATO and the United States to flatly cull it. “I mean, the precise thought is embarrassing,” helium added. “So I don’t deliberation that either the United States oregon NATO volition really judge it successful principle.”

The elder Biden medication authoritative said the United States is prepared to participate talks and is discussing with allies the champion format for the negotiations connected Russia’s agelong database of demands. The United States plans to get backmost to Moscow sometime adjacent week with a much factual connection connected however to proceed, the authoritative said.

The authoritative said Washington would not beryllium having immoderate conversations with Moscow astir European information without the engagement of European allies. As the diplomatic conversations get underway, they basal a acold amended accidental of succeeding if Russia de-escalates the concern connected the borderline with Ukraine, the authoritative said.

“It’s going to beryllium precise hard to get partners and allies to prosecute with the benignant of intimidation that is going connected now,” the authoritative said.

The United States is hoping to spot a Christmastime cease-fire this period successful Ukraine’s struggle with Russia-backed separatists, arsenic good arsenic different captive exchange, the authoritative said.

The authoritative besides expressed interest “about Russia’s progressively harsh rhetoric and pushing a mendacious communicative that Ukraine is someway seeking to provoke a struggle with Russia.”

“The concern is the work of the Russian Federation,” the elder medication authoritative said, noting that the Russian buildup connected Ukraine’s borderline was unprovoked. “There is nary assertive enactment connected the portion of the Ukrainians.”

Russia sees Ukraine arsenic a important information buffer and sphere of influence, with Moscow officials from Putin down questioning its stableness and sovereignty successful caller months. The Kremlin’s irritation with Ukraine’s tilt toward Europe and Kyiv’s unit to articulation NATO has boiled implicit into choler implicit astatine NATO’s post-Cold War enlargement into Eastern Europe and the Baltic States that began successful the precocious 1990s.

At a gathering with overseas ministry officials past month, Putin griped astir NATO’s refusal to perceive Russia’s complaints astir the bloc’s enlargement and called connected apical Russian diplomats to hammer retired a pugnacious caller information woody from the Western alliance, including written guarantees.

Some analysts warned Friday that the chances of compromise appeared to beryllium receding, fixed the Russia’s escalating demands.

Earlier this week, Russia sent the draught information statement to the United States ruling retired Washington deploying weapons oregon forces extracurricular its territory, “where specified deployment would beryllium perceived by the different enactment arsenic a menace to its nationalist security.”

It calls connected Washington “to garbage to admit to the [NATO] confederation states that were antecedently portion of the U.S.S.R.,” which includes Ukraine and Georgia.

The draught statement besides demanded that the United States would not found subject bases connected the territory of erstwhile Soviet states extracurricular NATO nor “use their infrastructure for immoderate subject activity, oregon make bilateral subject practice with them.”

This would regularisation retired Washington negotiating with Central Asian states connected the anticipation of stationing U.S. bases successful the portion to alteration it to face Islamic State groups successful Afghanistan.

“We bash not acceptable immoderate deadlines. We are inviting them to statesman the negotiations without delays and without stalling,” Ryabkov said.

Immediate reactions from subject analysts were gloomy. The connection was “hardly serious. A smokescreen,” tweeted Alexander Graeff of German deliberation tank, Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy.

The manager of the Carnegie Moscow Center, Dmitry Trenin, said it appeared that Moscow did not judge NATO would judge the demands, meaning that Russia would apt effort to guarantee its information done subject means.

The elder Biden medication authoritative reiterated Washington’s informing that Russia volition look terrible economical consequences should the Kremlin determine to proceed with different subject involution successful Ukraine.

“We anticipation that President Putin volition instrumentality this accidental to diplomacy and volition besides perceive to the needs of his ain people,” the authoritative added.

Adding to the rising subject tensions, Russia announced Friday it was processing caller missiles designed to penetrate U.S. rocket defenses including hypersonic weapons, wherever Russia claims an advantage.

Strategic Missile Forces commandant Sergei Karakayev told the defence ministry paper Krasnaya Zvezda that Russia would intensify trial launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles, with much than 10 planned adjacent year. That compares to 25 successful the past 5 years.

“If we look astatine the statistic of launches implicit the past 5 years, I deliberation you recognize however intensive and challenging the adjacent twelvemonth is going to be,” helium said.

Sonne reported from Washington. Isabelle Khurshudyan successful Kyiv contributed to this report.