Russian President Vladimir Putin now demands that London end its nuclear protection of allies as part of Moscow’s conditions for a resolution to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The Kremlin’s proposals further include demands for NATO to withdraw from Eastern Europe and the Baltic states, as well as an end to Western arms supplies to Kyiv.
Officials in Moscow have prepared a document outlining a series of conditions to end the conflict. These conditions include the withdrawal of NATO troops from Eastern Europe and the Baltic states, Finland’s departure from the Alliance, and a NATO commitment not to deploy troops to Ukraine. Additionally, the document calls for a halt to all deliveries of Western weapons, equipment, and military products to Ukraine. In return for accepting these conditions, Russia would permit Ukraine to pursue membership in the European Union.
However, it appears unlikely that the United Kingdom will agree to relinquish its commitment to provide nuclear protection to its allies. Recently, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham expressed strong opposition to incorporating the future of the European security architecture into negotiations with Russia. He stated, “There was a very strong feeling that Russia’s demands to introduce the issue of European security architecture or the continent’s security arrangements into the negotiations could not be accepted. No, this is not negotiable. Europe must decide on its own security arrangements. Only Europe can make that decision.”
Moscow’s demands come in the context of several years of threats issued by Russia against the United Kingdom and other European states, including concerns regarding the potential use of nuclear weapons.
Accepting the Russian proposals would have profound implications for European security, particularly for states that joined NATO after 1997. Such countries include Poland, Hungary, Romania, and the Baltic states, which may risk losing significant protection from NATO’s military presence.
The Russian document also insists on halting NATO’s expansion and restricting the Alliance’s ability to position troops near Russia’s borders. These demands resonate with those previously articulated by the Kremlin in December 2021, before the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At that time, Russia sought alterations to the European security framework and assurances that NATO would not extend further eastward.
