Joe Biden's announcement that a group of Nato countries will hold talks with Moscow has caused concern on the eastern flank of the alliance, where members close to Russia have long insisted that any agreements about European security must not be negotiated over their heads.
Biden's description of seeking an accommodation with Russia has been privately bristled by officials in Poland and other eastern Nato countries, worried that any trade-off could increase the danger they face from an expansionist Russia.
They are expected to demand a seat at the table before Biden reveals more details about the talks on Friday.
Linas Linkevi ius, a former foreign minister and defence minister of Lithuania, said we must be included in everything that is discussed in our region, and nothing should be discussed without us.
Russia's intentions are well-known, they are always trying to divide, divide, marginalise, so we have to maintain unity and a principled decision, especially when we have this possible aggression against Ukraine. Linkevi ius, like others, said that officials were probably waiting for more information from the Biden government before speaking publicly about them, because they didn't have public information about the talks available yet.
A diplomat from a Baltic state said there was concern that the talks being announced as Russia maintains its military buildup on the border of Ukraine look like Putin is getting what he wants. A senior official from an eastern Nato state said on Thursday that Russia has said it is expecting discussion of strategic security on the continent. Biden is expected to speak with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and members of the Bucharest 9 after the fall of the Soviet Union.
Biden will have his first direct conversations with the group since he held a two-hour video call with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. He warned the Russian president about potential sanctions if he launched an offensive in Ukraine during the virtual summit.
He spoke to Boris Johnson, Angela Merkel of Germany, Emmanuel Macron of France and Mario Draghi of Italy shortly after that call. Biden said that the talks with Russia will include at least four of our major Nato allies and Russia to discuss the future of Russia's concerns relative to Nato writ large Michal Baranowski, director of the German Marshall Fund's Warsaw office, and that there had been support for Biden's strong response to Russia's military build-up in Ukraine, which has included threats of sanctions against Russia and vocal support for Ukraine's sovereignty.
He said that the decision to announce the new Russia talks had caused confusion and anger in Poland because it signalled a change in the White House's thinking.
He said it would be detrimental if Poland, Romania, and other eastern flank countries were excluded from the talks.
The reaction would be very negative and it would send a clear signal to Russia that if you talk about European security, don't worry about what those pesky Central Europeans think, you just have to talk with the big powers, he said.
He said that any movement toward restricting who could join Nato would recognise a Russian sphere of influence, putting Poland and other eastern flank countries at greater risk.
Even if nothing comes out of this, let alone be said that there would be any sort of agreement, then people will be talking about Munich and Yalta, referring to past settlements with Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union.
Linkevi ius also said that Biden's transparency in response to the Russian buildup had been well regarded in Lithuania and that it was important to maintain unity across Europe and Nato.