Diplomacy: Putin Remains Clear on Ukraine Conflict – New Talks

Diplomacy: Putin Remains Clear on Ukraine Conflict – New Talks

Putin remains clear in his statements: In his opinion, Ukraine must not become a NATO member – otherwise the risk of war increases. The next diplomatic talks are pending.

In the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, diplomatic efforts to ease the situation are entering the next round. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

The talks were initially scheduled for Monday, but initially did not take place due to Johnson’s domestic political problems. Meanwhile, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte has planned a visit to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Johnson was already a guest there on Tuesday.

With a massive Russian troop buildup near Ukraine, there are fears in the West that Russia is planning an invasion of its neighbor. The Kremlin denies that. It is also considered possible that fears are being fueled in order to persuade the NATO states to make concessions on security guarantees. Moscow has addressed a corresponding catalog of demands to NATO and the USA, including an end to NATO’s eastward expansion. Both reject Russia’s core concerns, but have offered dialogue in written replies.

Putin warns of the danger of war

On Tuesday, Putin warned of the risk of war in Europe should Ukraine become a member of NATO. He also criticized the negative attitude towards the Russian demands. However, the written answers from the USA and NATO would be examined. “I hope that we will find a solution in the end. Even if it’s not easy. We are aware of that, »said the Kremlin boss.

During his visit to Kiev on Tuesday, British Prime Minister Johnson stressed that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would mean a political, humanitarian and military catastrophe. He threatened that Britain and its allies had prepared tough sanctions against Russia. These will come into force as soon as “the first Russian toe” enters Ukrainian territory.

Debate on arms deliveries

The future chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, has called for Germany to make a stronger military contribution to the conflict – for example by supplying weapons for defense. “If the Ukrainians turn to Germany for help today, we should support them with defensive weapons,” Heusgen told the newspapers of the Funke media group and the French newspaper “Ouest-France”.

The traditional rule in Germany is that no armaments are delivered to conflict regions. But: “In addition to our restraint, we must also remember that during the Second World War German security forces carried out massacres of Jewish Ukrainians,” said the long-standing foreign policy adviser to former Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU).

“The conflict is too complex for arms deliveries alone to solve it,” said CSU General Secretary Markus Blume to the editorial network Germany. An overall concept is needed that follows two maxims: stay in dialogue and show clear consequences in the event that the territorial integrity of Ukraine is not respected. The conflict will also be an issue at the closed conference of the CSU state group, which begins on Wednesday in Berlin.

Source: Stern

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