Russia may demand NATO military pullback to 1997 levels in Ukraine peace talks - Telegraph

The reported demand could involve withdrawing allied troops from Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland - all NATO members that share a border with Russia.

According to The Telegraph, Moscow wants European countries involved in the next round of peace talks partly to pursue concessions concerning NATO's military presence and expansion.

The report follows remarks by Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov, who said Europe should be included in negotiations because European governments' support for Ukraine was crucial to reaching an agreement.

Ushakov acknowledged that Moscow's earlier expectation that Washington could pressure Kyiv into accepting Russian demands had not materialized.

"Before, it seemed after Anchorage, that the US administration might be able to dictate something and force Kyiv to comply. But so far, this hasn't really worked out," he said.

"That's because it's not enough to talk only to Kyiv; we need to talk to the whole of Europe, which fully supports Kyiv."

NATO demands and European response

Russia has long demanded restrictions on NATO's military presence in Eastern Europe, portraying the alliance's eastward expansion as a threat to its security.

The year 1997 predates NATO's accession rounds that brought Poland into the alliance in 1999, the Baltic states in 2004 and Finland in 2023.

However, a withdrawal of NATO forces from these countries would not, by itself, end their membership in the alliance.

The Telegraph reported that European officials remained opposed to Moscow's demands.

"Our position remains the same as in January 2022," a European official told the newspaper, referring to NATO's rejection of Russia's demands for a military pullback before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

European and Ukrainian officials have nevertheless expressed willingness to discuss broader postwar security arrangements in Europe, according to the report.

Talks expected in Abu Dhabi

Russia has agreed to participate in US-mediated technical talks with Ukraine in Abu Dhabi next month, following a lengthy pause in negotiations.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the upcoming meeting was unlikely to end the war but could address limited ceasefires covering energy infrastructure and grain exports, as well as prisoner exchanges.

He said Ukraine wanted concrete results that could lay the groundwork for a future meeting between national leaders.

The Kremlin has previously demanded that Ukraine surrender territory in the eastern Donbas region that Russian forces have not captured.

The reported NATO proposal has not been formally announced as a new Russian negotiating demand.