US asks Russia to prepare a new draft agreement on security in Europe
- The United States has asked Russia to prepare a new European security proposal with measures to reduce tensions.
- Washington is linking a security agreement to an agreement to end the war and insists that European representatives take part in the talks.
- The United States said it would not support an agreement without the consent of Europe and Ukraine and would not give Russia veto power.
Washington changes the format of security discussions
The United States has asked Russia to present a new version of proposed European security arrangements. According to Axios sources familiar with the situation, Moscow is expected not only to respond to previous concerns but also to outline steps that could reduce tensions with European countries. The initiative is being discussed as part of a broader process tied to ending the war in Ukraine, rather than as a standalone, ready-made agreement.
The subject of a possible deal touches on long-standing Russian demands: Moscow has sought limits on NATO expansion and a reduction in the alliance’s military presence in Eastern Europe. The United States had previously rejected such terms. Now, according to the report, the Trump administration appears willing to consider them in some form as part of a broader agreement. This does not mean Washington agrees to the demands: the request is to prepare a new draft for discussion.
At the same time, Washington has set clear limits. The United States has made clear to European countries that it will not agree to a security arrangement with Russia without the support of Europe and Ukraine, nor will it grant Moscow veto power over European security issues. This position matters amid the wariness of many European governments toward the U.S. administration’s approach. In other words, the negotiations do not envisage decisions about the continent being made without the participation of those directly affected.
A New Draft Instead of the 2021 Demands
At the talks in Abu Dhabi, Russian representatives reportedly explained the start of the invasion by claiming that President Biden had failed to respond to Vladimir Putin’s 2021 letter outlining his security concerns. This is an account of the Russian negotiators’ position, not an explanation of the causes of the war established in the publication. In response, U.S. envoys noted that the world had changed considerably since 2021 and proposed that Moscow develop a new document taking current circumstances into account.
The future draft is expected to be specific not only about Russia’s concerns and demands, but also about Russia’s own actions. According to sources, Kushner and Witkoff proposed defining in the document “reciprocal steps” that Moscow would be willing to take to de-escalate. They should also provide Europe with assurances that Russia will not launch attacks in the future. The source does not say what specific measures might be included in such a list.
Discussions about European security architecture became, according to people familiar with the matter, one of the key points in the Abu Dhabi talks. However, the U.S. initiative is still at the stage of requesting a new Russian proposal: no completed agreement text has been published. Possible parameters for reciprocal steps have also not been defined. So both the document’s content and how to link it to an agreement to end the war remain subjects of further bargaining.
Talks on the war and Europe’s participation
On Thursday in Moscow, President Trump’s envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff are due to meet Vladimir Putin and repeat their request for him to prepare a new draft. They also intend to seek agreement on European representatives taking part in the next round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks. According to sources, Moscow has so far been unwilling to allow Europeans into such discussions, making the question of their presence a separate obstacle.
A source who was present at the negotiations in Abu Dhabi described the meetings between Russian and Ukrainian representatives as tense and emotional at times, with both sides voicing grievances. Kushner and Witkoff tried to ease tensions and explained to the participants that the goal of the round was to offer the leaders of both sides options for resolving the issues. After the sides had set out their positions, the discussion became more constructive, according to the source. This account does not mean that the disagreements were resolved.
The U.S. side links substantive discussions about European security to allowing European representatives to take part in future peace talks. According to Axios, Kushner and Witkoff told their Russian counterparts that European participation was necessary for a serious discussion of the issue. Washington expects that giving Europeans a seat at the negotiating table will make their governments more willing to discuss a broader agreement. However, according to the report, Moscow has not yet agreed to this format.
Terms of the deal and unresolved issues
The Trump administration intends to discuss a peace deal and a new security framework in parallel, but an agreement on security, according to a source familiar with the White House’s position, can only be concluded after an agreement to end the war has been reached. This is an important distinction between the course of negotiations and the sequence of possible agreements: the issues can be discussed simultaneously, while the security agreement itself is postponed until there is an outcome on ending the war.
The link between the two issues also concerns the guarantees the parties need. One source noted that Volodymyr Zelensky will not agree to a deal without knowing what will happen next with security guarantees; Putin, the source said, wants to know this too. The report does not disclose the content of any possible guarantees or say whether their terms have been agreed. It therefore remains unclear what specific commitments could satisfy the participants and how they would relate to a future agreement between Europe and Russia.
Security is expected to be a key topic at the summit of European leaders in Dublin later this week. European diplomats acknowledge strong resistance to the idea of a treaty with Russia. Earlier, a senior Russian official said Moscow could conclude non-aggression pacts with individual NATO members as part of a new security architecture. But the report does not say whether the United States or European governments support this option, or whether the current exchange of proposals will lead to an agreement.
Source: UNIAN
