Putin says Russia has the right to ‘military-technical measures’

Russian president Vladimir Putin told the country’s
military leaders on Dec. 21 that Russia has the right to take
‘military-technical’ measures against the West. He said that “the U.S. should
understand that we have nowhere to retreat”, given NATO’s encroachment on its
borders, apnews.com reported.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated on Dec.
21 that NATO was open to meaningful discussion with Russia over security
concerns and that he would call for a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council early
in 2022. He made the statement while welcoming Prime Minister of Romania
Nicolae Ciucă to NATO HQ, nato.int announced. Stoltenberg thanked Ciucă for
Romania’s active role in the Black Sea and in helping Ukraine.

James Hydzik: Putin is not signaling that the demands made last week were the
opening salvo of extremely difficult negotiations, but rather an ultimatum.
Thus far, Ukraine’s allies have not bent to that will. There is no indication
that a stronger response before or after an attack on Ukraine is going to come
from NATO. However, it is significant that NATO began flying reconnaissance
drones over the Black Sea on Dec. 21, though such flights are typically
American-flagged. The Kremlin’s demand to deal directly with Biden seems to
only be tightening bonds between the U.S. and its allies.