Axios: US urges Russia to outline demands and de-escalation steps in new security agreement with Europe

The US has proposed that Russia prepare a new draft security agreement with Europe, in which Moscow would outline not only its demands but also the steps it is prepared to take to reduce tensions.

Source: Axios, citing two sources familiar with the matter

Details: For many years, Russia has sought to conclude a European security agreement that would restrict NATO enlargement and reduce the alliance's military presence in Eastern Europe. The US has rejected these demands in the past but now appears willing to consider them in some form as part of a wider agreement to end the war in Ukraine.

However, the governments of many European countries are deeply suspicious of the administration's approach.

US special envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff will meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow on 12 November to reiterate this demand. They also want Putin to consent to the participation of European representatives in the next round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks, a US official said.

The US proposal for an agreement on a new security architecture between Europe and Russia as part of a deal to end the war in Ukraine was a key topic of the talks in Abu Dhabi.

Russian negotiators said Putin had launched the invasion of Ukraine because then-US president Joe Biden had not responded to his 2021 letter outlining his security concerns, according to two sources familiar with the talks.

One source said Kushner and Witkoff had told the Russians that the world had changed significantly since 2021.

They proposed that Russia prepare a new draft agreement that would address its security concerns and demands but also specify what "symmetrical steps" it was prepared to take to de-escalate the conflict and reassure Europe that it would not attack in the future.

Kushner and Witkoff also told the Russians that, for serious discussions on European security to take place, they would have to agree to the participation of European representatives in future peace talks.

So far, Russia has been unwilling to allow Europeans to participate in peace talks with Ukraine.

The US hopes that giving European representatives a seat at the peace talks will make their governments more willing to discuss and conclude a broader security agreement even before the war ends.

"Zelenskyy won't agree to a deal until he knows what happens next regarding security guarantees and Putin wants to know this, too. This is why the security issue is so important," the source said.

The source added that the US had made it clear to European countries that it would not agree to a security deal with Russia unless Europe and Ukraine were involved. The US would also not give Russia veto power over European security matters, the source said.

Background:

• German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has rejected calls for a new European security architecture as a means of ending Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned the Trump administration on 7 November that its proposed new security plan for Europe could be "dangerous", as Russia has shown no signs of wanting to end the war.
• The US administration's vague proposal for a new security deal with Russia in Europe has prompted scepticism and concern in European capitals, which fear it could lead to the continent being sidelined in the negotiations.

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