Vladimir Putin has demanded a “written” pledge from the West as part of an agreement to cease fighting in Ukraine. According to top Russian officials who spoke to Reuters, he wants reassurances that NATO would not further expand eastward. This means former Soviet republics, including Georgia and Moldova, which are increasingly warming up to the West but the Kremlin wants to keep under its influence, would never be allowed to join the Western military alliance.
This comes as US President Donald Trump is growing increasingly frustrated at his Russian counterpart, and has now set a two-week deadline for Putin to prove he isn’t “tapping us along”. He told reporters: “We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along. And if he is, we’ll respond a little bit differently. But it’ll take about a week and a half, two weeks.”
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