# US Asks Russia to Draft Europe Security Deal, Alarming Allies

- URL: https://twotakes.us/stories/us-asks-russia-to-draft-europe-security-deal-alarming-allies
- Published: 2026-11-14T08:07:49.080147+00:00
- Topics: ukraine, russia, foreign-policy, nato, diplomacy

## What the left says
- Asking Russia to draft its own proposal for European security hands the Kremlin leverage it has sought since Putin's 2021 letter demanding NATO rollback, legitimizing grievances used to justify the invasion.
- European governments were not full participants in the Abu Dhabi talks and fear a US-Russia deal over their heads that could constrain NATO's future posture without their consent.
- Negotiating a Europe-Russia security architecture before the war even ends rewards Moscow's aggression and risks normalizing the idea that Europe's security arrangements are subject to Russian veto.
- Putin adviser Vladimir Medinsky's dismissal of European leaders as engaged in 'collective deception' shows Russia's distrust toward the very allies the US hopes to bring into talks, undercutting hopes for good-faith cooperation.

## What the right says
- Ending a nearly five-year war that has killed and displaced enormous numbers of people justifies creative diplomacy, including asking Russia to put concrete de-escalation steps on paper rather than just demands.
- The US has been explicit that any European security arrangement would come only after a Ukraine peace deal and would not replace or weaken NATO, addressing the core fear driving criticism.
- Progress such as the largest prisoner exchange of the war and a path toward a Trump-Putin-Zelensky summit shows the engagement strategy is yielding tangible humanitarian results.
- The US has also pushed Russia to accept European representatives at the negotiating table, showing Washington is trying to bring allies in rather than exclude them.

## Common ground
- Russia and Ukraine agreed to what both sides describe as the largest prisoner exchange since the war began.
- No breakthrough was reached on a broader peace agreement or on territorial disputes in Donbas during the Abu Dhabi talks.
- Both the US and European officials agree that any final European security architecture decisions should only be implemented after the war in Ukraine ends.
- The talks marked the first direct Russia-Ukraine engagement with US mediators present since February, representing renewed momentum after a long pause.

## Sources
- [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-11-12-0800/ukraine-war-ukraine-talks-abu-dhabi-bring-progress-prisoners-not-peace) (Center)
- [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-11-12-0800/ukraine-war-russia-ukraine-talks-turn-post-war-security-end-without-breakthrough) (Center)
- [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-11-12-0800/ukraine-war-russia-ukraine-agree-prisoner-exchange-2nd-day-us-brokered-peace-talks-ends) (Center)
- [AllSides](https://www.allsides.com/news/2026-11-12-0800/ukraine-war-witkoff-and-kushner-arrive-moscow-ukraine-talks-putin) (Center)
- [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/11/11/russia-ukraine-europe-war-security-agreement) (Lean Left)
- [Axios](https://www.axios.com/2026/11/09/ukraine-russia-zelensky-putin-peace-abu-dhabi) (Lean Left)
- [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/video/key-points-stalling-progress-in-russia-ukraine-peace-talks/) (Lean Left)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/policy/international/6217022-witkoff-kushner-zelensky-meeting-starshield-update/) (Center)
- [The Hill](https://thehill.com/policy/international/6218870-russia-ukraine-negotiations-europe/) (Center)

---
Content by TwoTakes (https://twotakes.us). You may quote, summarize and cite it, including in AI answers, as long as you credit TwoTakes and link the story URL. Original reporting belongs to the linked outlets. Summaries are AI-assisted and reviewed for balance; check the original sources for authoritative reporting.