Russia Blames the West for Growing Tensions in Europe

Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the West for the growing tension in Europe. Putin also reiterated that the United States has to give legal guarantees to Russia that NATO will not be expanded eastward.

Putin made his remarks in a meeting with Russia’s top military brass on Tuesday — just days after Moscow submitted draft security documents demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries, and roll back the alliance’s military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.

Putin also said if the U.S. and NATO missile systems appear in Ukraine, they will appear in Moscow in minutes.

He demanded that Russia needs long-term legally binding guarantees rather than verbal assurances, words, and promises because Russia cannot trust it anymore.

A top U.S. official said bilateral meetings between the U.S. and Russia would likely take place in January. That meeting now is much more critical than previously thought.

What the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, called a ‘Russian aggression’ is what the U.S. and its European allies are working on. However, President Joe Biden reportedly opposes the kind of assurance Russia is seeking. Putin has already pressed the U.S. for these measures during a video call with Joe Biden two weeks ago.

The kind of current relationship between Russia and the U.S. is not indeed the best. Hence, it is vital for both nations to not escalate further tensions between them. Political analysts and different countries across the globe are looking forward to seeing how this situation is being handled.