Russia revives demand for NATO pullback to 1997 positions during Abu Dhabi talks

Russian officials presented a document during negotiations in Abu Dhabi this week demanding, among other things, that NATO withdraw its forces to the positions they occupied in 1997, The New York Times reported. The paper was circulated in closed-door talks with President Donald Trump's envoys about how to end the war in Ukraine, in which the Russians revived that long-standing stance.

The New York Times said it obtained a copy of the document from a person involved in the talks, and that its authenticity was confirmed by another person familiar with the negotiations. According to the newspaper, the paper shows that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has barely shifted from his core objectives after more than 20 months of diplomatic efforts by the Trump administration.

The document also underlines that the economic incentives offered to Putin by Trump's envoys, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff, have so far failed to secure concessions from Moscow.

At the same time, although the paper reflects Russia's initial negotiating position, Russian officials indicated during the talks that Putin might still be willing to show flexibility, according to two people involved in the negotiations.

The New York Times also noted that Russian officials in Abu Dhabi made clear that Moscow views the Cold War and the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact, established in 1955, as a model for what postwar Europe should look like. Russian representatives are said to have argued that the separate spheres of influence and the arrangements between the United States and the Soviet Union during that era actually reduced the risk of conflict.

According to a New York Times source, Witkoff and Kushner told the Russians that much had changed since late 2021, when Russia had already demanded that NATO return to its 1997 positions. The Americans urged the Russians to "look toward the future" and said they are open to new proposals from Moscow that would include concrete steps by Russia to reduce tensions, the source added.

In the months before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia issued a series of demands to NATO, including that the Alliance pull its troops back to the positions they held in 1997.

The Telegraph recently reported, citing diplomatic sources, that Russia might try to use a new round of peace negotiations to secure concessions from NATO.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda has said Russia's demand for NATO troops to withdraw from the Alliance's eastern flank cannot be met, arguing that Europe's security architecture must remain unchanged.