Russia presents a new security agreement to NATO and the US

International security faces a delicate new scenario. NATO and Russia are engaged in a tug-of-war through which they seek to demonstrate the strength that each power represents in an increasingly polarised world. In this vein, Russia is seeking to increase its power and influence in defence and security matters, an exercise it has been engaged in since the fall of the Berlin Wall in an attempt to regain its power on the international stage.

Although historically the end of the Cold War is dated with the fall of the Berlin Wall, more than a few analysts argue that we are still fighting a Cold War, only with a greater number of actors. In this diversity Russia has already made its ambitions clear and is now making a challenge to NATO and the United States by announcing its proposals for a new security agreement that would include both the Northern Alliance and the United States. 

This new draft has been divided into two drafts, one addressed to the United States and the other to NATO, which aims to consolidate its military and defence power in the region through a series of points. Experts have already described both drafts as lists of proposals and demands rather than declarations open to negotiation.

Their proposals demand that NATO commit in writing not to expand or act on Russia's borders, which translates into withdrawing Ukraine's and Georgia's bid to join the military alliance. It also calls for an end to military activity in Eastern European, Central Asian and Caucasus countries, where they will not be able to operate without Moscow's consent. With these proposals Russia aims to return the former areas that remained under the influence of the USSR to exclusive Russian authority. 

Likewise, calling for the elimination of all NATO military infrastructure (including Spain) in Eastern European areas jeopardises one of the main points of unity in the cooperation between the Northern Alliance and Russia signed in 1999.

This key point in what could be a future NATO agreement comes at a time when the West is closely monitoring the deployment of Russian troops and weapons along its borders with Ukraine. The presence of such troops has produced different reactions from the major powers. In the case of NATO, its responses have remained veiled in a threatening manner, reaffirming that it will have "massive consequences" should Russia decide to attack Ukraine. 

In a statement, the Alliance affirmed its concern over "the substantial, unprovoked and unwarranted Russian military build-up on Ukraine's borders" and urged Russia to initiate "immediate de-escalation". However, Russia's demand for NATO non-interference on Russia's borders makes it clear that Moscow does not intend to initiate any kind of withdrawal.

These demands, moreover, not only seek to keep Ukraine under NATO's influence but also directly affect NATO's own operational framework and expansionism, raising questions about the way European security is currently configured. 

Russia is also directly demanding that Ukraine, along with Georgia, should not join the club, which is in direct conflict with NATO policy. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg himself pointed out that whether a country joins or not is a matter solely for the country itself and the Alliance's member states.

In this respect, Ukraine is increasingly showing its desire to shift towards a Western policy. Russia's moves such as the annexation of Crimea, considered illegal, or its role in the Donbas war in which Moscow supported the separatists, have made Ukraine want to adopt a different international policy in which Russia does not dictate its steps. 

Moreover, in the draft addressed to the United States, Russia has demanded that Washington not deploy missiles close enough to Russian territory and that it not establish bases in any country that formerly belonged to the Soviet Union.

The United States has already responded to these demands, and its first response has not been negative. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has stated that "the United States is prepared to engage with Russia on its security demands and will present its own concerns". 

This response can be seen as a start towards a negotiation process. Depending on the moves of both, it is possible that the security structure as we know it today could be transformed and give rise to the configuration of a possible new world order.

For its part, NATO indicated that it was "ready for a meaningful dialogue with Russia" and that it was clear that "any dialogue with Russia should be conducted on the basis of reciprocity". Alongside this they indicated that they are clear "that any dialogue with Russia would also have to address NATO's concerns about Russia's actions, based on fundamental European security principles and documents". 

However, in the wake of the proposals, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Riabkov told a press conference that 'the US and NATO have aggressively escalated the security situation in recent years, which is absolutely unacceptable and extremely dangerous'.

This situation, although he wants to assert the importance of diplomacy and negotiation, is nonetheless involved in a fragile scenario in which rivalries are on the table and any action taken by both Russia and the West can lead to a triumph of negotiation or, on the contrary, to fracture.