Russia: Moscow Won’t Let the Guard Down with NATO’s Expansion

During an annual press conference, Vladimir Putin, Russia's president, focused on the talks between Moscow and Washington over guarantees regarding NATO's non-expansion. Fred Weir, the Russia correspondent for the Boston-based Christian Science Monitor (CSM) and Gilbert Doctorow, international affairs analyst, explained Putin's intentions behind the message to NATO.

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During the press conference, President Putin noted that national security is at the top of the priority list for Russia, indicating Western countries have broken their vows that NATO would not expand eastward.

Putin stressed Russia's previous efforts to build a normal relationship with the U.S and the West, giving it access to Soviet military facilities and the government as proof. Even after that, since the 90s, there have been continuous waves of NATO expansion, carrying military infrastructure and missiles near Russian territory.

Previously in December, Russia ruled an agreement with the EU and the U.S. over guarantees of NATO not continuing its expansion. Putin exposed at the press conference that the U.S. had shown its willingness to start talks over security in Geneva early next year. 
 

Putin noted on Biden putting all the blame on Moscow, highlighting that NATO has continued to reinforce its presence in the Eastern European countries. On the other hand, Ukraine is still defying the Minsk agreements on the Donbass region.
 
Putin expressed that Ukraine might prepare a third military operation at the annual press conference. "There would be a temptation there for Kiev, because of what happened in Azerbaijan and Armenia last year," Weir declared.

"I'm sure that encouraged a lot of people in Kiev to think we could do that too here. And since the political situation in Kiev is clearly deteriorating, it's possible that forces there, people there would think a war would be a great distraction," he added.