Leaked docs suggest the U.S. might throw Russia a bone. Will it be enough to avert war?
The U.S. could be willing to offer Russia a transparency agreement to guarantee that cruise missiles will not be stationed at NATO bases in Eastern Europe, The Associated Press reported Wednesday.
According to El País, a Spanish newspaper that reportedly obtained leaked documents containing U.S. and NATO responses to Russian demands, the Biden administration is willing to offer Russian President Vladimir Putin "a 'transparency mechanism.'" This would "verify the absence of Tomahawk cruise missiles, which are capable of reaching Russian territory, at the NATO anti-missile shield bases in Romania and Bulgaria."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
In the pair of draft treaties to which the leaked documents were responding, Russia insisted that Ukraine be barred from membership in NATO and that the alliance pull its troops out of Eastern Europe.
The transparency agreement proposed by the Biden administration is a far cry from Putin's demand for a total pullout, and guaranteeing Ukraine won't join NATO appears to be a non-starter for both the U.S. and the alliance.
According to AP, the leaked NATO document included a reaffirmation of the 30 member nations' "commitment to NATO's Open Door policy."
Meanwhile, CNN reported Wednesday, Russia continues to move troops into position on the Ukrainian border. New satellite imagery shows evidence of troop buildups at several bases, new Russian deployments in Belarus, and live-fire artillery drills.
The New York Times reports that around 130,000 Russian troops are massed on Ukraine's border.
President Biden has ordered 3,000 American troops to move into position to "bolster the defense of European allies," The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. Some 2,000 troops from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, are being sent to Poland and Germany, while around 1,000 troops stationed in Germany are heading to Romania.
-
Political cartoons for February 14Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include a Valentine's grift, Hillary on the hook, and more
-
Tourangelle-style pork with prunes recipeThe Week Recommends This traditional, rustic dish is a French classic
-
The Epstein files: glimpses of a deeply disturbing worldIn the Spotlight Trove of released documents paint a picture of depravity and privilege in which men hold the cards, and women are powerless or peripheral
-
Key Bangladesh election returns old guard to powerSpeed Read The Bangladesh Nationalist Party claimed a decisive victory
-
US, Russia restart military dialogue as treaty endsSpeed Read New START was the last remaining nuclear arms treaty between the countries
-
What happens now that the US-Russia nuclear treaty is expiring?TODAY’S BIG QUESTION Weapons experts worry that the end of the New START treaty marks the beginning of a 21st-century atomic arms race
-
Epstein files topple law CEO, roil UK governmentSpeed Read Peter Mandelson, Britain’s former ambassador to the US, is caught up in the scandal
-
Iran and US prepare to meet after skirmishesSpeed Read The incident comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East
-
EU and India clinch trade pact amid US tariff warSpeed Read The agreement will slash tariffs on most goods over the next decade
-
Israel retrieves final hostage’s body from GazaSpeed Read The 24-year-old police officer was killed during the initial Hamas attack
-
China’s Xi targets top general in growing purgeSpeed Read Zhang Youxia is being investigated over ‘grave violations’ of the law
