Kremlin pushes 2021 demands to reduce NATO presence in Europe during Abu Dhabi negotiations – ISW

The Kremlin is pushing to reduce NATO's presence in Europe during trilateral negotiations with the United States and Ukraine in Abu Dhabi, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on Nov. 11. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated that establishing clear parameters for a future security architecture is reasonable, although state propaganda and TASS cited a source claiming that resolving the Ukrainian conflict is subordinate to creating a comprehensive security architecture for the entire continent.

ISW emphasized that Russia's statements reference its 2021 demands to limit NATO's deployment of new weapons and military personnel in member states that joined after 1997, effectively granting Russia veto power over NATO policy and restricting sovereign right to join the alliance. Kremlin's renewed efforts to push its original demands coincide with its justification of the war against Ukraine, falsely claiming that Ukraine's potential NATO accession would threaten Russia's security and accusing NATO and Ukraine of posing a threat to Russian sovereignty.

United States, Ukrainian, and European officials have publicly agreed on the need for reliable postwar security guarantees for Ukraine and European participation in future peace negotiations, which the Kremlin has rejected.