Russia to US: Get out of all former Soviet republics, even in Europe — and agree in writing HotAir

This doesn t exactly sound like progress, however. Lavrov wants us and Europe to party like it s 1997, the Financial Times reports:

Russia wants Nato to remove all of its forces from Bulgaria, Romania and other ex-communist states in eastern Europe that joined the alliance after 1997, the foreign ministry said on Friday, underlining Moscow s hardline position ahead of security talks with the US in Geneva.

Sergei Lavrov, Russia s foreign minister, said in a written Q&A on the ministry s website that Russia s demands included withdrawing foreign forces, equipment, and armaments and making other steps to return to the condition as of 1997 , when Nato began admitting former Warsaw Pact countries.

That includes Bulgaria and Romania, Lavrov said, adding that Russia s demand was core and deliberately worded as clearly as possible so as not to allow any dual interpretations .

Bulgaria scoffed at the demand, pointing out that it makes its own sovereign decisions about membership in multilateral organizations now, not Moscow. The absurdity of this demand and the impossibility of it ever happening belies the idea that Vladimir Putin is negotiating in good faith over Ukraine, Belarus, or even Georgia. It does, however, bolster the idea that Putin s dream of reassembling a Russian empire is not limited merely to bordering former Soviet republics.

via hotair.com

Well, this is not good. We could do with someone besides doddering Joe in the leader of the free world position. I’m far from a neo-con, but we need to contain Putin’s (and Xi’s — but that’s another story) ambitions.