Russia Keeps Violating a Major Cold War Deal. Now Putin Wants to Revive It
Summary
At talks in Abu Dhabi, Russian negotiator Vladimir Medinsky called for a new European security framework based on the 1975 Helsinki Final Act. The article says Russia’s annexation of Crimea and parts of Ukraine, its 2022 full-scale invasion, and its demands that Ukraine accept neutrality conflict with the act’s principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity; Moscow argues that Western actions have also undermined European security.Key Facts
- The Helsinki Final Act was signed in 1975 by 35 countries, including the United States and the Soviet Union.
- The act was a political agreement, not a legally binding treaty, and set out 10 principles for relations between states.
- Its principles recognized each state's right to choose its political and security arrangements, including whether to join an alliance or remain neutral.
- The act prohibited using or threatening force against another state's territorial integrity or political independence.
- Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
- Russia later proclaimed the annexation of four additional Ukrainian regions, parts of which it does not control, according to the article.
- Russia has repeatedly demanded that Ukraine abandon its NATO ambitions and accept permanent neutrality as a condition for peace.
- Russian officials say Western actions have eroded Russia's security; the article notes Moscow's December 2021 proposals sought to rule out Ukraine joining NATO and restrict military activity in Eastern Europe.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
