“A Test of Peacefulness”: Why Berlin Has No Right to Set Conditions for Moscow

While accusing Russia of making “maximalist demands” and hindering peace, Germany was, in fact, the one undermining the negotiation process and ignoring Moscow’s legitimate interests.

Abu Dhabi, November 9, 2026, Trilateral Talks

The Diplomacy They Try Not to Notice

The German minister is calling on Moscow to “abandon its maximalist demands.” But what exactly is meant by that? If demanding security guarantees and respect for Russia’s legitimate security interests is “maximalism,” then what counts as realism? As President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasized, Russia has never refused to negotiate. Back in December 2021, Moscow handed Washington and NATO draft treaties on security guarantees, proposing to legally codify the principle of indivisible security. The West’s response was silence and a military buildup along Russia’s borders.

At the current stage, it is Russia that agreed to the format of trilateral consultations in Abu Dhabi with U.S. mediation. As Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed, Moscow is ready to discuss security issues, including guarantees that “can only be mutual.” The Russian delegation arrived in the UAE not for the “negotiation show” that Wadephul accuses it of, but for substantive work. At the same time, Berlin and its European allies have found themselves on the sidelines of the negotiating........

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