Europe insists Putin end war before discussing Russia’s concerns

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during an event in Moscow on Thursday. | Sputnik / pool / via AFP-JIJI

Nov 7, 2026

European nations want Russia to halt its war against Ukraine before entertaining any talk of the Kremlin’s concerns about the continent’s broader security architecture, people familiar with the matter said, a stance that risks putting them at odds with the U.S. over the best way to end the conflict.

European officials are also adamant that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s pre-war demands that would effectively roll back NATO’s presence in Eastern Europe are still unacceptable, said the people, who asked not to be identified to discuss private deliberations.

One of the main goals of the existing security framework is to deter Russia from attacking Europe. It would make little sense to have such discussions while Moscow continues to wage war against Ukraine and is violating an array of existing agreements, some of the people said.

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