I disagree with many of the points raised in the recent “NATO, U.S. must make compromises” letter to the Leader. 

Managing the Ukraine crisis is not well served by proceeding from false premises. The letter implies a false equivalence between Russia and the United States in laying blame for the Ukraine tensions.

In asserting that America has played a “major role” in creating this mess, the writer first asserts that it has been “breaking promises not to expand NATO into Eastern Europe.” 

This Putin claim is simply not true. 

At the time of reunification of Germany, NATO promised that only military from the new German nation would be placed in the old East Germany while the Communists withdrew; NATO complied. 

Gorbachev, who negotiated for Russia, has acknowledged that there was no “deal,” formal or otherwise, that NATO would not later allow Eastern European countries to join it. When these newly independent republics chose to do so, Russia did not then claim this violated some agreement.

The letter refers to American “offensive missiles placed in Romania and Poland” that can attack Russia. 

The missiles in Romania are purely defensive, demonstrably only for shooting down incoming Russian ballistic missiles. Aegis missiles, not yet placed in Poland, would have the same exclusive purpose.

Biden immediately renewed the START nuclear arms treaty. Trump canceled a separate “INF” treaty banning ground-based intermediate missiles because the Russians were cheating and because China would not be bound by it.

I strongly favor continued rejection of a no-fly zone over Ukraine, because it risks nuclear war, and agree with the letter on this. 

But it would be dangerously naive to “reduce NATO military posture in Europe in exchange for Russian guarantees to respect the rights of neighboring nations.” Such a guarantee by Putin, now exposed as a pathological, predatory liar, would be worthless.

Jim Brennan
PORT TOWNSEND