As a new month begins, the best that can be said about the tense standoff over Ukraine is that everybody is still talking instead of shooting. On Tuesday, Vladimir Putin himself spoke on the issue for the first time in a month and reiterated Russia's big complaints: He said the West has "ignored" Moscow's demands, including its desire for a guarantee that NATO won't expand to include the former Soviet republic, reports the Washington Post. Putin also wants the alliance to roll back troops from Eastern Europe and to promise not to deploy weapons near the Russian border. One potentially hopeful sign: The AP reports that Putin emphasized that a negotiated settlement is still possible.
The Russian leader spoke one day after a tense exchange between US and Russian officials during a UN Security Council meeting. “Russia is carefully analyzing the US and NATO written responses, but it is already clear that Russia’s fundamental concerns have been ignored,” Putin said at a news conference in Moscow. “NATO refers to the right of countries to choose freely, but you can not strengthen someone’s security at the expense of others.” The New York Times sees his remarks as a sign of how far apart the two sides remain.
Russia has 100,000 troops massed on the Ukraine border, and President Biden has warned that the economic consequences will be severe if Russia invades. Some other lines from Putin:
- “It was the United States that came with its missiles to our home, to the doorstep of our home,” he said. “And you demand from me some guarantees. You should give us guarantees. You! And right away, right now.”
- “Imagine that Ukraine becomes a NATO member and launches those military operations,” he said. “Should we fight NATO then? Has anyone thought about it?”
On the diplomatic front, Putin may soon meet with French leader Emmanuel Macron, while Britain's Boris Johnson arrived in Ukraine for talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. (More
Vladimir Putin stories.)
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