Russian President Vladimir Put, left, and Russian General Staff Valery Gerasimov talk to each other during an extended meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry Board at the National Defense Control Center with a Russian military map showing the alleged deployment of U.S. private military contractors in eastern Ukraine in the background in Moscow, Russia, Tuesday, Dec. 21, 2021. The Russian president on Tuesday reiterated the demand for guarantees from the U.S. and its allies that NATO will not expand eastward, blaming the West for current tensions in Europe. (Mikhail Tereshchenko, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)