New security bargaining or new world politics game?

Amid growing tensions with the US, Nato, and EU especially concerning Russia's massive military build-up along its border with Ukraine, Russia suddenly published drafts of two documents containing Russia's demands from the US and Nato on legally binding guarantees for Russia's security.

US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a virtual meeting on December 7, 2021. Photo: TTXVN

The first was "Agreement on Measures to Ensure the Security of the Russian Federation and the Member States of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization" and the second one was "Treaty between the US of America and the Russian Federation on Security Guarantees".

Afterward, Russia's President Vladimir Putin personally used strong words on various occasions to emphazise these demands and made clear that Russia will diversely respond if the US and Nato fail to meet Russia's demands for security guarantees and the so-called Red-line for him would be a Nato's expansion agreements with Ukraine and the deployment of alliance weapons in Ukraine.

All these sounded strong and taft, creating impressions that Russia's new moves and Putin's saying were serious. But deep inside, the Russian side was well known from the outset that their proposals would be rejected by the West because the West could in no way accept them.

Accepting these ultimata like pre-conditions would mean total roll-back of many developments and achievements the US and Nato have having reached until now and of which they have been since pound.
Of course, Russia and its incumbent president would very much like to want their proposals to be accepted by the US and Nato.

But as they know and could foresee that the other side does not refuse to encounter and to talk with Russia, they intend to use their talks about the two draft agreements on security issues to gradually lead and force the other side to enter a new world politics game in Europe with Russia, another ultimate game about powers and influences, about defining and deciding capabilities on the world politics and world securities after the games Russia already played in Crimea in 2014 and in Syria since 2015.

The US, EU, and Nato have forced Russia to enter their confrontation game with them about Crimea and Ukraine, about democracy and humane rights, about ideology and state governance - all issues and fields where they thought to be sure that Vladimir Putin's Russia could only draw the short straw. And they have been using political, economic, and trade sanctions against Russia, seriously hurting and harming Russia's economy.

Russia's new game takes place in Europe and is about security for Russia, for Europe, for Nato members, and for the US, too. Obviously, Russia is intending to invent and to play this game with their conviction that it would have many strategic trumps which could help Russia to lead and to determine the game.

The US and Nato almost immediately refused Russia's two security proposals. But the US almost hasty agreed with Russia on starting bilateral security talks and Nato almost quickly proposed to Russia to convent a new round of talks in the framework of the Russia-Nato Council - the last round was held more than two years ago.

They all try to prevent falling into this Russian trap by avoiding playing this Russian game.

Disclaimer: The views expressed by Ambassador Tran Duc Mau are of his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Hanoi Times.