The New York Times: Russia again demands NATO return to 1997 borders for agreement with Ukraine

According to The New York Times, two months before the invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, Russia made sweeping demands to the West. Among them was a demand that NATO roll back its military forces in Eastern Europe to the positions held before 1997 - the period before the alliance began expanding toward Russia's borders. Now, in closed-door negotiations with representatives of President Donald Trump on ending the war in Ukraine, Russia has again put forward this position, in some cases repeating it word for word.