MOSCOW—The gap between Russia and the West over the future of Ukraine and security in Europe was laid bare as details of two bluntly worded responses delivered to Moscow last week were made public showing the U.S. and NATO flatly rejected the Kremlin’s demands and instead laid the blame for the tension squarely on Russian President Vladimir Putin.
With tens of thousands of Russian troops massed on Ukraine’s borders, Mr. Putin had demanded written guarantees that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization wouldn’t expand east to include the country and that it halt the deployment of additional forces to other former Soviet states. He has described his demands as core security concerns for Russia as the monthslong standoff continues.
