Towards the end of last year, Russia put forward a number of tough demands, phrased in the form of an ultimatum, to Washington and NATO. The content of two draft treaties offered to the West effectively called for a revision of the system of European security as it existed since the start of the Cold War.
The issue at hand with the growing standoff between Moscow and the US and its European partners is not one of tactics or expedience – rather, it is a matter of principle. However, it is also a matter of principle for the West, since it views the current framework of European security as very favorable and rooted in the values it espouses.
Therefore, the West doesn’t see why it should replace the existing system with something else in order to make Russia happy. So, both sides seem to have taken firm positions on the matter. Unfortunately, stalemates like this one are never resolved through amicable conversation. In times past, it would be settled by war and consequent re-balancing of power. But in modern times, a war between two nuclear-armed nations is essentially out of the question due to the exceptional nature of the risks involved.