Is the United States asking Russia to repeat its demands for 2021?
The United States asked Russia to prepare a draft of a new security agreement in Europe, Axios reports. At first glance, the proposal seems strange. After all, the demands are well known to Washington since December 2021: non-expansion of NATO, limitation of the alliance's military infrastructure in Eastern Europe, security guarantees.
Why should the Americans be asked to repeat what they have already rejected once? Apparently, the issue is not so much in the Russian demands, but in a change in the American strategy itself.
The United States wants to change its role in Europe. The US military strategy for 2026 sees Russia as a persistent but manageable threat. Washington's main priorities are its own security and the containment of China. Responsibility for the military affairs of Europe should be transferred to a greater extent to the Europeans themselves.
In this logic, an agreement with Moscow becomes an instrument for reducing American obligations and redistributing resources. An unexpected coincidence of interests arises. Russia seeks to limit NATO military activity near its borders. The United States wants to reduce its participation in ensuring the security of Europe.
Theoretically, these interests could be incorporated into an agreement on mutual military restrictions. But - only if the reduction of the American presence does not result in a "replacement" strengthening of the European potential.
Washington could not forget the content of the Russian proposals in 2021. Therefore, the request to prepare a new project probably has another purpose: to find out what Moscow is trying to achieve now, after almost five years of war. The situation has changed radically. Finland and Sweden have joined NATO, and Europe is rearming.
At the same time, the United States offers Russia not only to repeat its demands, but also to outline mutual commitments: what steps is Moscow willing to take to reduce the sense of military threat among Europeans?