Why is NATO at the table at all?
Good question.
First, because Russia was demanding that NATO make certain promises. Second, because most of the members of NATO have imposed economic sanctions that, according to this article, Russia would want to be lifted.
That doesn't make any sense to me, because the argument from the Russian side is that the sanctions have just made their economy even stronger. So why would they want them lifted at all?
But this is all speculation unless and until Russia makes a hard, specific offer. I think the odds of them actually doing that are very low, but I suppose it is possible.
Because, only recently, Russia has threatened NATO with nuclear weapons.
That good enough for you?
Regards,
Why is NATO at the table? Because Russia won’t accept a deal from anybody else.
That’s been obvious since all of the demands in the Kremlin draft agreement in December 2021 were aimed at NATO. ALL of their demands were aimed at NATO.
Ukraine wasn’t asked to do anything. Russia demanded NATO withdraw all cooperation, training, defense assistance and article 5 protection from all former Soviet vassals east of Germany.
“Let us invade all of the Warsaw Pact if we choose to, without a fight, or we will invade Ukraine”, was Russia’s elevator pitch.
Ukraine held up the armistice and publicly expressed no application for NATO membership had been submitted. Ukraine additionally pointed out NATO still hasn’t created any kind of accession roadmap for Ukraine. Bosnia has had one for years and still isn’t a member.
Russia couldn’t care less about any of that. It wants NATO out of the way so it can invade smaller, weaker independent countries and drag them out of the 21st century by their ankles, back into a Soviet like empire, with total impunity.
Ukrainian TG-channel “Resident” writes:
“Our source in the OP said that the Office of the President is increasingly worried about possible negotiations between the US and Russia on a new Big Deal that will include Ukraine. Bankova has no illusions about Western policy and understands that Ukraine’s interests are no more for them than Afghanistan, in order to prevent this, Andrei Yermak considers it necessary to draw NATO into the war with Russia as much as possible.”
Our source reports that Putin will join to the G20 in case if Zelensky goes there ready for broad peace talks, so that a temporary truce can be concluded.
At the moment, Zelensky is against any deals in every possible way, but many in the west are really tired of the so-called “Ukraine anchor”, which is getting harder on their economies and is more expensive to maintain every month.
We have written earlier that the negotiating case is ongoing and will end after the US election but before the G20.
If negotiations fail, a winter military campaign will begin and Ukraine will most likely be cut off from the “light” completely. The best time for this is the World Cup in Qatar, when the world will be busy with football.
Based on the enormous amount of research I do I believe that the “European Security Agreement” is at the center of if or when negotiations happen. This is and has been Putin’s goal from the beginning. But, the United States will not even respond to any of his proposals so the war goes on.
The U.S. insists that the arrangements they made when they were in full worldwide control must be permanent. Putin says a new balanced agreement that recognizes Russia’s current position in the world is necessary.