Kateryna Hirnyk06:32, 26.10.26

Putin is expected to demand that the alliance reduce its military presence to 1997 levels.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin intends to use a new round of peace talks on Ukraine to gain concessions on the issue of NATO expansion and weakening its defense capabilities, The Telegraph reports .

Thus, Putin’s aide Yuri Ushakov stated that European countries should be involved in the negotiations between representatives of Russia, Ukraine and the United States, as their participation would be crucial for reaching agreements. According to diplomatic sources, this requirement is dictated by the desire to achieve concessions on the issue of NATO enlargement.

As the publication’s interlocutors noted, Putin will likely demand a reduction in NATO’s military presence in Europe to the level of 1997, the period preceding the accession of the former Eastern Bloc countries to the alliance:

“This could mean withdrawing NATO troops from Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as from Finland, which joined the alliance in 2023. All five of these countries border Russia.”

Ushakov noted that he did not expect significant progress from this meeting, describing it as a “trial step.” At the same time, both European and Ukrainian officials expressed their readiness to discuss “the broader context of the post-war security system in Europe” during the talks in Abu Dhabi.

At the same time, high-ranking sources emphasize that Europe, as before, resolutely rejects Russia’s demands.

“Our position remains the same as it was in January 2022,” one European official said, referring to a letter sent to Moscow by former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Putin then hinted that meeting his demands would prevent a Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, while the Western alliance agreed to discuss his concerns, he categorically ruled out the possibility of withdrawing troops and nuclear weapons from the territory of the former Soviet republics.

(c)UNIAN 2026