text: InFocus: NATO-Russia UpdateTensions in Eastern Europe remain elevated. Russian military equipment buildups are ongoing and social media is flooded with videos of equipment transfers near Voronezh and Yelnya. Russia continues to accuse Ukraine of its own military buildup, saying nearly 125,000 troops have amassed on the Ukrainian side of the border. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Blinken in Stockholm to deescalate the current diplomatic crisis. The meeting comes as Russia ordered U.S. diplomats to leave Russia by the end of January if they’ve worked in the country more than three years, reducing the effectiveness of consular operations inside Russia.Russia warns against Ukrainian accession to NATOMeanwhile in Latvia, the NATO Foreign Minister summit began this week. Opening statements by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called for unity on a range of issues from Ukraine to immigration and economic cooperation. Stoltenberg said Russia could not prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, adding that Kyiv must meet the standards before implementing a member action plan. “Any future Russian aggression against Ukraine would come at a high price and have serious political and economic consequences for Russia,” Mr. Stoltenberg said during a Q&A with reporters.In response, the Russian government is asking for a “legal guarantee” that NATO will not expand to the east. That is essentially a nonstarter on both sides and shows the obstinance of Russia in the current geopolitical environment. In other words, if Russia continues to feel ignored, Putin is likely to escalate the conflict on his own terms. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said, “Kyiv is becoming increasingly insolent in its aggressiveness towards the Minsk agreements, the Russian Federation, and in its attempts to provoke the West to support its military ambitions.”