“If you’re scared, give us cheap credit,” he said, noting that investments in Ukraine’s economy are declining in the face of the Russian threat. His country also needs security guarantees and honesty. This also applies to the desire to join the western defense alliance NATO. “If everyone doesn’t want to see us there, be honest,” he said at the Munich Security Conference, alluding to the necessary unanimity among NATO members. “We need honest answers.” But nobody should think that Ukraine will remain a permanent buffer between the West and Russia.
At the same time, he demanded that the West put the package of sanctions against Russia on the table as a deterrent. “It is important to know what the sanctions are.” If there is an attack, it is too late to deter.
Security Conference without Russia
Russia and its troop deployment in the border area with Ukraine are the dominant topic of the security conference in Munich. Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) warned of an escalation on Saturday: “War is threatening again in Europe. And the risk is anything but averted.” EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen sees the entire international order at risk given the Russian threats against Ukraine.
Scholz has also warned Russia of the consequences of an attack on Ukraine. “Any further violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity will have high costs for Russia – politically, economically and geostrategically,” says Scholz.
The German chancellor remains willing to engage in diplomacy with Russia. “As much diplomacy as possible without being naive – that’s the claim,” he says. Russia has raised the issue of Ukraine’s possible NATO membership as a “casus belli”. “It’s paradoxical: there is no decision pending.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his speech that the army will defend the country against Russia with or without international help. With regard to Western arms deliveries, he said at the Munich Security Conference that these were not “donations”. Rather, they are a contribution to European and international security. The head of state wants to return to Kiev on Saturday. The day before, US President Joe Biden had advised Selenskyj against the trip because of the acute danger of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Let’s not be provoked”
According to Zelenskyj, Ukraine does not want to be provoked. “We do not react to provocations and strive to create peace exclusively through diplomacy,” Zelenskyy writes on Instagram.
Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock underlined that the western states had prepared packages of sanctions for all scenarios of an attack on Ukraine. It was agreed what the trigger points for sanctions were and which would then be imposed, said Baerbock on Saturday after a G7 foreign ministers’ meeting on the sidelines of the conference. “Don’t make this fatal mistake, withdraw your troops, avert damage from Ukraine and Russia and let’s talk,” she told the government in Moscow. “History has not yet been written”. There is still an easy way out that the Russian government can decide at any time.
According to Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine itself is preparing for a possible Russian invasion. “We are preparing for every possible scenario,” says Kuleba in Munich.
EU prepared against gas stop
EU Commission President von der Leyen accused Russia of threatening a nation of more than 40 million people under the guise of security policy demands. “In doing so, Russia is also violating the UN charter that no country may violate the territorial integrity of another UN country,” she said. One cannot accept that.
However, the European Union is now fully prepared in the event of a stop to Russian gas supplies. “Today I can tell you that even if Russia cuts gas supplies completely, we are safe this winter,” she said. The EU can no longer rely on Russia as an energy supplier.
According to the EU Commission President, Japan and South Korea are ready to support the EU if Russia stops supplying gas. At the same time, von der Leyen made serious allegations against the Russian gas company Gazprom. “Gazprom is consciously trying to store and deliver as little as possible while prices and demand are skyrocketing,” she said.
In the EU, there have been fears for weeks that the current conflict with Russia could lead to an interruption in gas supplies. According to the Commission, until recently, the EU covered almost a quarter (24 percent) of its energy requirements with gas, of which 90 percent was imported. 40 percent of the imports came from Gazprom.
Johnson warns against Russian disinformation
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has threatened Russia with tough sanctions on the financial center London in the event of an invasion. It is unacceptable for Europe to be blackmailed by Russia, said Johnson. In this respect, Europe must also make itself more independent of Russian oil and gas.
Johnson also warned against Russian disinformation. “There will be a cascade of false claims.” Russia is “spinning a web of misinformation” to justify a possible invasion of Ukraine.
Should Russia invade Ukraine, Johnson believes this will also “resonate with Taiwan”. The background is concerns that China could take military action against Taiwan, which Beijing sees as part of the country. Asian allies have assured him that the economic and political aftershock will also be felt in Asia, he adds. The risk is an emerging impression that aggression could be worthwhile.
China is committed to the sovereignty of Ukraine
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has pledged himself to Ukraine’s sovereignty. The principle of the inviolability of borders applies to all UN members, and Ukraine is no exception, he says. Both Russia, the Europeans and the USA have acknowledged that the Minsk Agreement is the basis for a solution for eastern Ukraine. That’s what you should focus on.
Nevertheless, he warned against further NATO eastward expansion. “NATO was a product of the Cold War era,” he says in Munich. “Now you have to look at the present, there has to be an adjustment in NATO.” The Europeans must ask themselves whether a continuous expansion of the alliance to the east really serves peace in Europe.
Nato concerned
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expressed concern about the current situation and once again emphasized the strength of the alliance. “We don’t know what will happen, but the risk of conflict is real.” He warned Russia of “more NATO” on its borders if it invaded Ukraine. “If the Kremlin’s goal is to have less NATO on its borders, it will only get more NATO,” Stoltenberg said. He again stressed that the defense alliance has not yet seen any withdrawal of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine.
“Moscow is trying to turn back history and recreate its sphere of influence,” Stoltenberg accused the Kremlin. However, it is not too late for Russia to change course. “We will always do what is necessary to protect and defend one another,” Stoltenberg said of NATO.
In the meantime, the alliance withdrew its employees from the representation in Kiev. “The safety of our staff is of the utmost importance, which is why employees have been transferred to Lviv and Brussels,” said a spokeswoman in Brussels on Saturday. However, the Alliance’s offices in Ukraine remained functional.
US threatens “unprecedented sanctions”
In her speech, US Vice President Kamala Harris threatened Russia with “unprecedented” massive sanctions in the event of an attack on Ukraine. “We have jointly prepared economic measures that will be fast, tough and united,” she said. She also reiterated the increase in US troops on NATO’s eastern flank. “As President Biden has said, our forces will not be stationed there to fight in Ukraine, but they will defend every inch of NATO territory.”
She called on the allies in the Ukraine crisis to unite. “The basis of European security is under immediate threat in Ukraine.”
US President Biden spoke in drastic terms about the developments on Friday. According to him, Russia plans to attack Ukraine next week, including the populous capital Kiev. Biden said in the White House that he was “convinced” that Russian President Vladimir Putin made the decision to invade Ukraine. Biden reiterated that it was not too late to find a diplomatic solution to the escalating conflict. But he expects an invasion soon.
Biden is convinced that the government in Moscow did not succeed in splitting the West in the Ukraine crisis. “Despite Russia’s efforts to divide us at home and abroad, I can confirm that this has not happened,” said the US President. On Friday he spoke to US congressmen at the security conference in Munich and to western heads of state and government. The “overwhelming message” of both talks was unity and determination.
diplomatic attempts
Meanwhile, in a statement circulated in Moscow, Lavrov indirectly blamed Germany and France, as mediators in the Ukraine conflict, for the deteriorating situation in the conflict area. With the toleration of Berlin and Paris, Kiev refuses to implement its obligations under the Donbass peace plan. In addition, Lavrov pushed for direct talks between Kiev and the separatists. President Zelenskyj has vehemently ruled that out several times.
According to the Kremlin, a telephone call between the Presidents of Russia and France, Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron, was scheduled earlier on Sunday. Everything must be tried to avoid a confrontation and a Russian invasion of Ukraine. This would be destabilizing for the security of Europe and Russia and would lead to a new geostrategic constellation, it was said in Paris. In the next one, two or three days, they want to use all the resources of dialogue and at the same time act as allies.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian was on the phone with his Russian counterpart Lavrov on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. Le Drian expressed his great concern about the escalation in eastern Ukraine over the past few days, the Foreign Ministry said in Paris. According to the Russian account, there were no rapprochements. Lavrov insists on the security guarantees demanded by Russia. Ignoring Russian security interests jeopardizes stability in Europe and around the world, Lavrov said. After the phone call, Frenchman Le Drian explained that it was up to Russia whether the dialogue could be continued.
Source: Nachrichten
