Lithuanian president rejects Russian demand to withdraw NATO troops from Eastern Europe
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda rejected Russia's demand to withdraw NATO troops from Eastern European countries and said the alliance-centered European security architecture should remain unchanged. His comments came as Russia sought a new security framework and European leaders prepared to consider its implications amid negotiations on ending the war in Ukraine.
Key points
- Nauseda said withdrawing NATO troops from Eastern Europe at Russia's demand would be impossible.
- Russia first advanced the troop-withdrawal demand in late 2021.
- Russia's foreign ministry proposed a new European security architecture including non-aggression agreements with NATO member states.
- Nauseda said the NATO-centered European security system should remain unchanged and exclude spheres of influence.
- The demand was expected to be discussed at Thursday's European Political Community summit and Friday's informal European Council meeting in Dublin.
- Nauseda warned that Russia could use negotiations to gain time and avoid a ceasefire.
- A plane carrying US presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner arrived in Moscow on November 12.
Why it matters
Russia's demand challenges NATO's military presence in Eastern Europe and raises the prospect of replacing the alliance-centered European security system with one based on spheres of influence. Nausėda's position shows European resistance to that approach and places responsibility for a collective response on European leaders, who were expected to discuss the demand at European Political Community and European Council meetings.
What happened
Nauseda rejected Russia's call to withdraw NATO troops from Eastern European countries and insisted that the existing European security architecture should remain unchanged. He said European leaders would not accept the demand and warned that Moscow could delay negotiations by focusing on secondary issues while avoiding an agreement on a ceasefire. The dispute emerged during broader talks on ending the war in Ukraine and shaping future European security arrangements.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage framed Nausėda's comments as part of negotiations over ending the war in Ukraine. It emphasized concerns that Russia could use the talks to gain time, avoid a ceasefire and continue its aggression, while also highlighting European discussions about a new security architecture, immediate cessation of hostilities and European representation in the peace process.
Where reporting differs
Russia regards the existing European security system as insufficiently effective and calls for a new architecture. Nausėda argues that the NATO-centered system should remain unchanged and that European security should not be organized around spheres of influence.
Background
Russia first demanded the withdrawal of NATO troops from Eastern Europe in late 2021. During talks on ending the war in Ukraine, it called for a review of Europe's security architecture, and its foreign ministry proposed non-aggression agreements with NATO members under a new framework. European consultations in Abu Dhabi on November 10–11 discussed that framework and the need for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, but Russia reportedly rejected Europe's ceasefire proposal. US media also reported that Washington asked Moscow to submit a new proposal for a European security agreement involving steps to reduce tensions.