A few days after Fyodor Lukyanov's piece on the "Finlandization" of Ukraine, Lavrov proposes a "not one inch to the East" treaty at an OSCE conference in Sweden. Lots of interesting symbolism here. Won't fly very far (I mean his proposal). That's because the times are different.
https://twitter.com/TheresaAFallon/status/1466420820323057667
When Gorbachev missed his opportunity to have Baker's "not one inch to the East" promise codified in a legally-minding agreement (on Feb. 9, 1990), the opportunity was actually there. That was because the USSR was no longer an enemy. Gorbachev could ride far on that goodwill.
But what Lavrov is peddling is much more analogous to Moscow's proposals of the 1950s like Stalin's note on Germany, or Moscow's calls for dismantling military blocs in Europe, or various Soviet universal disarmament initiatives: just propaganda (which they know is propaganda).
The bottom line. If you want people to come along with you, first try to be a nice guy. But since you are not, and everyone knows you are not, and you yourself know that you are not, then, well, what do you expect. Correct: nothing.
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