Chapter 172

Nadiya’s father was a participant in the discussions. Steve also recognized Anatoly Suchkov. Varvara’s father was heading up the Russian delegation. There was an hour lunch break and then the parties were back in the conference room.

By day’s end, most of the issues had been resolved, but Russia insisted on the right to patrol the skies over Ukraine. The Ukrainian delegation flatly refused to accept that proposal. Neither side would budge on it and it appeared that it would block the success of the other negotiations.

“Lieutenant Hammer?” boomed the voice of Anatoly Suchkov. “Do you feel that Russia is being unreasonable in its demands?”

Steve slowly looked around the room before responding. Everyone was waiting for him to speak. He responded in fluent Russian.

“Actually, I do. There’s no doubt that you have superior military forces. That doesn’t mean that other nations will not resist your efforts to dominate them. History has shown us time and again that p