Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a news conference that the West is to blame for the tensions at his country’s border with Ukraine.
Mr. Putin believes that Russia has legitimate security concerns that need to be addressed as soon as possible. As previously reported, the Russian leader does not seem to want a war with the West, but his intentions are still not clear.
It will be fascinating to follow how the West, especially the United States of America, will respond to Putin’s latest remarks. The Biden administration has always said that it favored a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine.
However, no one really knows what the outlines of a deal between the two camps look like.
Putin still blaming the West for messy situation at border with Ukraine
The Russian president is adamant, he did not look for trouble, but trouble came to find him anyway.
During the press conference, he said the U.S. via NATO are the ones who put missiles at Russia’s doorstep in Ukraine.
For Putin, it is hard to comprehend why the West is asking for guarantees when they are the ones who have started the escalation.
Left unsaid is the fact that the U.S. and its allies were marked by what happened in Crimea in 2014 and were determined to avoid a repeat with Ukraine.
Interestingly, Mr. Putin did not escalate the conflict, and some observers say he was even more measured than expected.
Vladimir Putin avoids escalation talk at press conference
Thursday, Putin suggested that the West is obsessed with a potential war in the region.
The Russian mastermind presented himself as the wise leader determined to protect the interests of his country but who is not looking for a fight.
Observers noted that his tone was milder as he revealed that negotiations with the U.S. will continue in January.
This was an evident change of approach compared to two days ago when he said that a military offensive was under consideration.
It is more apparent than ever, Putin does not want Ukraine to join forces with NATO. If the West can reduce its presence in the region, Putin might be inclined to sign a deal.
Many are wondering what concessions the West will have to make to get Putin to deescalate the tensions at the border.
Russia wants major concessions from the West on Ukraine.
Keeping NATO’s influence to a bare minimum in Ukraine is an important goal, but it seems there are other things that Putin’s Russia is looking at.
NATO has said no to Putin’s demand about not welcoming new members. However, the Biden administration seems interested in getting a deal on things like energy and pipelines in Europe.
While many experts have said that it is impossible to know what Putin wants when it comes to Ukraine. However, the three elements mentioned above are major priorities for his nation.
The West will have to decide if giving Putin what he wants will open the door to more demands in the future.
Another option would be to leave the status quo in place.
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