Hurricane Szn

The NYTimes has obtained a copy of a position paper that Russia presented at Abu Dhabi setting out its broader requirements around the European security architecture, which it has now placed at the centre of the negotiations with (about) Ukraine. The main points are as follows: ▶️ NATO must pull troops and bases back to positions held in 1997 (before its eastward expansion). This would sharply reduce or eliminate the alliance’s military presence on its eastern flank, including in Poland and the Baltic states (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania). ▶️ No further NATO expansion and a ban on “any military activity” by NATO in Ukraine, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia. ▶️ Cessation of “the supply of any type of Western weapons and military equipment and products to Ukraine.” ▶️ Ukraine could join the EU only if it does not participate in the bloc’s common defense policy. ▶️ Assurances that Britain and France would not use their nuclear weapons to protect other European countries (beyond ending NATO nuclear-sharing arrangements). The paper frames these as necessary to address the “root causes” of the war (Russia’s grievances with NATO expansion and Ukraine). In the talks, Russian officials pointed to Cold War-era spheres of influence (e.g., the Warsaw Pact period) as a model that reduced conflict risk through mutual understandings and divided zones. nytimes.com/2026/11/13/us/po…