On the issue of "Russia demanding Finland withdraw from NATO"

According to a report by Bild am Sonntag on November 13, Russian negotiators presented European counterparts with an "informal proposal" during talks in Abu Dhabi. The proposal included Russia retaining its currently occupied territories in Ukraine and securing full control over the entire Donbas region, demilitarizing the ports of Odessa and Mykolaiv, establishing Ukraine’s permanent neutrality (allowing membership in the EU but excluding NATO), Finland withdrawing from NATO and reverting to its pre-membership status, prohibiting NATO from establishing military bases in the Baltic states, federating Moldova and permitting referenda in Transnistria and Gagauzia, in exchange for Russia withdrawing its nuclear weapons from Belarus and refraining from deploying intermediate-range missiles.

The key point is that Bild am Sonntag itself acknowledged this document as merely one among several drafts circulating during negotiations—unverified, unpublished, and lacking independent confirmation, including whether Putin had approved it. Media outlets reporting the story generally labeled it as "unconfirmed."

Official responses have been uniformly dismissive: Kremlin spokesperson Peskov stated on November 13, “I don’t know about this. No, it was not proposed. Of course, this is absolutely not part of any discussion.” Finnish Defense Minister Antti Häkkänen responded via YLE on November 14, saying such issues are “not subjects of negotiation,” adding that Russia clearly knows these demands are “absurd.” Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen noted that Russia’s position on Finland’s NATO membership was “not surprising,” but emphasized that the decision rests solely with Finland and NATO. She also pointed out that Russia’s expansion of the agenda to include broader European security architecture signals its lack of urgency in reaching an agreement. Similarly, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz both underscored that the question of who represents Europe cannot be determined by Russia, and that the existing European security framework remains anchored in NATO.

Based on available information: this is not a formal Russian negotiating condition, nor has it been formally raised in official talks. Whether it represents an informal exploratory draft remains unproven and cannot be entirely ruled out. However, it aligns closely with Russia’s long-standing objectives—namely, halting NATO’s eastward expansion and applying the logic of indivisible security first articulated in the December 2021 draft treaty. In practical terms, the proposal is unworkable: Finland joined NATO in April 2023, shares a land border of approximately 1,340 kilometers with Russia, and withdrawing would effectively negate its fundamental national security orientation.

In short: the report is “half-true”—true in that it reflects Russia’s underlying strategic logic, false in presenting it as an established, formal demand on the negotiation table.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1881927825277056/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.