The first direct talks between Russia and the United States on possible resolutions for the war in Ukraine lasted just a few hours on Tuesday, February 18, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The two powers refrained from airing their specific points of contention. However, at Moscow's request, an old subject was brought back up, re-emerging with vigor at the negotiating table: Europe's "security architecture," as Moscow has never really accepted the various NATO enlargements conducted since the 1990s.

"A long-term resolution [of the conflict] is impossible without a comprehensive examination of security issues on the continent," Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. By taking this stance, the Kremlin had immediately imposed its influence and set up a head-on power struggle with the US, as such an examination would cover so many intertwined issues, ranging from the troop numbers of conventional military forces deployed in Europe, the US nuclear umbrella and Washington's ambitions in the space industry.

Discussing the European security architecture, as Moscow understands it, effectively means first talking about the troops and military assets that have been pre-positioned on Europe's eastern flank. These deployments have been steadily increasing since Russia invaded Crimea in 2014, whether they are conducted through NATO, of which the US is a cornerstone, or through bilateral agreements signed between 2023 and 2024, as the former Democratic administration sought to close ranks with countries such as Estonia, Sweden, Finland and Denmark.

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