{"id":54476,"date":"2021-12-26T14:27:42","date_gmt":"2021-12-26T14:27:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/12\/26\/putin-to-mull-options-if-west-refuses-guarantees-on-ukraine\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T08:52:57","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T08:52:57","slug":"putin-to-mull-options-if-west-refuses-guarantees-on-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/26\/putin-to-mull-options-if-west-refuses-guarantees-on-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"Putin to mull options if West refuses guarantees on Ukraine"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MOSCOW \u2014 Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday he would ponder a slew of options if the West fails to meet his push for security guarantees precluding NATO\u2019s expansion to Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier this month, Moscow submitted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/21\/putin-blames-west-for-tensions-demands-security-guarantees\/\" target=\"_blank\">draft security documents demanding that NATO deny membership to Ukraine<\/a> and other former Soviet countries and roll back its military deployments in Central and Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Putin has urged the West to move quickly to meet the demands, warning that Moscow will have to take \u201cadequate military-technical measures\u201d if the West continues its \u201caggressive\u201d course \u201con the threshold of our home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Asked to specify what such Moscow\u2019s response could be, he said in comments aired by Russian state TV Sunday that \u201cit could be diverse,\u201d adding without elaboration that \u201cit will depend on what proposals our military experts submit to me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/12\/17\/all-out-war-or-creeping-occupation-among-putin-options-says-ukraine-mod\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Russia5.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">All-out war or \u2018creeping occupation\u2019 among Putin options, says Ukraine MoD<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">There are two potential courses of action Putin could take \u2014 either all-out war or a \u201ccreeping occupation\u201d of Ukraine, that nation&#039;s Ministry of Defense tells Military Times.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The U.S. and its allies have refused to offer Russia the kind of guarantee on Ukraine that Putin wants, citing NATO\u2019s principle that membership is open to any qualifying country. They agreed, however, to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/23\/security-talks-with-us-nato-to-start-next-month-russian-foreign-minister-says\/\" target=\"_blank\">launch security talks with Russia next month<\/a> to discuss its concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Putin said the talks with the U.S. will be held in Geneva. In parallel, negotiations are also set to be held between Russia and NATO and broader discussions are expected under the aegis of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In remarks broadcast Sunday, Putin said that Russia submitted the demands in the hope of a constructive answer from the West.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe didn\u2019t do it just to see it blocked &#8230; but for the purpose of reaching a negotiated diplomatic result that would be fixed in legally binding documents,\u201d Putin said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He reaffirmed that NATO membership for Ukraine or the deployment of alliance weapons there is a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2021\/11\/30\/putin-warns-west-moscow-has-red-line-about-ukraine-nato\/\" target=\"_blank\">red line for Moscow<\/a> that it wouldn\u2019t allow the West to cross.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have nowhere to retreat,\u201d he said, adding that NATO could deploy missiles in Ukraine that would take just four or five minutes to reach Moscow. \u201cThey have pushed us to a line that we can\u2019t cross. They have taken it to the point where we simply must tell them; \u2018Stop!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He voiced concern that the U.S. and its allies could try to drag out the security talks and use them as a cover to pursue a military buildup near Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He noted that Russia published its security demands to make them known to the public and raise the pressure on the U.S. and its allies to negotiate a security deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/12\/13\/russian-invasion-of-ukraine-could-be-costly-even-without-us-troops-involved-experts-say\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"153\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21347404171606.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Russian invasion of Ukraine could be costly even without US troops involved, experts say<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Outside observers say Ukrainian troops are better prepared for a fight now than they were in 2014.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe have just one goal \u2014 to reach agreements that would ensure the security of Russia and its citizens now and in a long-term perspective,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Kremlin presented its security demand amid the tensions over a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/08\/russians-have-120000-troops-on-its-border-increased-intel-gathering-ukraine-ministry-says\/\" target=\"_blank\">Russian troop buildup near Ukraine<\/a> in recent weeks that has fueled Western fears of a possible invasion. U.S. President Joe Biden warned Putin in a video call earlier this month that Russia will face \u201csevere consequences\u201d if it attacks Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russia has denied an intention of launching an invasion and, in its turn, accused Ukraine of hatching plans to try to reclaim control of the territories held by Moscow-backed rebels by force. Ukraine has rejected the claim.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russia annexed Ukraine\u2019s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and shortly after threw its support behind a separatist rebellion in the country\u2019s east. Over more than seven years, the fighting has killed over 14,000 people and devastated Ukraine\u2019s industrial heartland, known as the Donbas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday he would ponder a slew of options if the West fails to meet his push for security guarantees precluding NATO\u2019s expansion to Ukraine.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":90403,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,8,23,93,12,25],"tags":[],"coauthors":[1330],"class_list":["post-54476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"MD2IVG6WPJCRJNB6J53NWZLPOM","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/26\/putin-to-mull-options-if-west-refuses-guarantees-on-ukraine\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented 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