U.S. sends Russia letter on security demands: 'The ball is in their court'
The United States sent a letter to Russia addressing the country's security demands, but did not make any concessions, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday.
The missive is "a serious diplomatic path forward," Blinken said, and is the latest attempt to cool tensions between Russia and Ukraine. The letter's contents won't be made public, Blinken added, but he did say it mentions Russia's demand that Ukraine be barred from joining NATO. "NATO's door is open, remains open, and that is our commitment," Blinken said.
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.
The letter does not contain "explicit proposals" and isn't "a formal negotiations document," Blinken said. "The ball is in their court," he added. "It remains up to Russia how to decide to respond. We're ready either way."
In addition to permanently banning Ukraine from NATO, Russia wants a rollback of NATO military deployments in Eastern Europe. Earlier Wednesday, Moscow said if its security demands are not met, it would take "retaliatory measures."
-
Buddhist monks’ US walk for peaceUnder the Radar Crowds have turned out on the roads from California to Washington and ‘millions are finding hope in their journey’
-
American universities are losing ground to their foreign counterpartsThe Explainer While Harvard is still near the top, other colleges have slipped
-
How to navigate dating apps to find ‘the one’The Week Recommends Put an end to endless swiping and make real romantic connections
-
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
-
Ukraine, US and Russia: do rare trilateral talks mean peace is possible?Rush to meet signals potential agreement but scepticism of Russian motives remain
