Vladimir Putin has warned the UK to abandon nuclear protection for its allies if it wants peace in Ukraine, as Moscow drafts proposals that would fundamentally reshape European security and demand major concessions from the West.
Vladimir Putin has demanded that the UK cease using its nuclear weapons to protect its allies if it wishes to see peace restored in Ukraine. Moscow officials have drawn up a set of proposals outlining their conditions for bringing the conflict to an end.
Among the demands are calls for NATO to pull its troops out of Eastern Europe and the Baltic States, the removal of Finland from NATO, and a pledge to refrain from deploying troops to Ukraine. The document also insists that the West halt “the supply of any type of Western weapons and military equipment and products to Ukraine.”
In return, Putin has indicated he would allow Ukraine to join the EU.
However, it remains highly unlikely that the UK will agree to withdraw its nuclear protection from its allies. On Thursday, Andy Burnham said: “There was a very strong feeling that Russian demands to put the question of European security architecture or European security arrangements into this negotiation.
“Well, no, that’s not up for negotiation. It’s for Europe to decide its own arrangements, Europe and Europe alone.”, reports the Express.
Putin’s conditions come on the back of a string of threats levelled at the UK and Europe in recent years, including the possibility of nuclear strikes.
The proposals carry far-reaching consequences for European security, particularly for nations that joined NATO after the alliance’s 1997 borders referenced in Moscow’s demands. Among those potentially left vulnerable are Poland, Hungary and the Baltic states, which could find themselves with reduced protection from Nato forces.
The Russian document also demands a halt to Nato’s military expansion, along with restrictions on the alliance’s capacity to position troops near Russia’s borders.
These demands bear a striking resemblance to those put forward by the Kremlin in December 2021, just weeks before Russia unleashed its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
At that time, Moscow similarly demanded that Nato dismantle its military infrastructure and rule out any further expansion. The latest proposals would therefore demand sweeping concessions from both Ukraine and its Western allies, while enabling Russia to hold onto the territories it currently controls.
European leaders have consistently maintained that Ukraine must have a voice in any agreement concerning its future, and that decisions regarding Europe’s defence cannot be dictated by Moscow.
Any potential peace deal would also need to tackle fears that Russia could launch fresh military aggression following a ceasefire.