The EU is concerned about a Russian attack on Ukraine. Together with French President Emmanuel Macron, Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to resume a tried and tested format of conversation.
Brussels – Germany and Paris want to mediate more strongly between Moscow and Kiev in view of the tensions on the Russian-Ukrainian border.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Selenskyj in Brussels on Wednesday. They are working on a resumption of the Normandy format, it was then said from Élysée circles. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized: “That is the format for this conflict.”
Three-way conversation between Scholz, Macron and Selenskyj
In the so-called Normandy format, Germany and France have been mediating between Ukraine and Russia since 2014. It is about the conflict in eastern Ukraine. After the coup in Kiev in 2014, Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula and began supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine, which continues to this day.
The Ukrainian President announced after the talks on Wednesday that he expected Russia to withdraw its armed forces and weapons from the borders as soon as possible. In a press conference he also called for immediate sanctions against Russia in order to get President Vladimir Putin to withdraw his troops from the border area. In his view, punitive measures in response to an attack would be meaningless.
The three-way conversation between Scholz, Macron and Selenskyj took place on the sidelines of a summit meeting of the so-called Eastern Partnership of the EU. Von der Leyen then warned Russia urgently: “The message is clear: Should Russia take further aggressive actions against Ukraine, the costs and the consequences will be grave.” Further sanctions against Moscow have been prepared.
EU summit on Russian troop deployment
EU Council Chairman Charles Michel also emphasized that Russia would pay a high price if it violated the territorial integrity of Ukraine. In the morning, Chancellor Scholz had warned Moscow against an invasion of Ukraine. “Every violation of territorial integrity will have its price, a high price,” he said in the Bundestag. An EU summit in Brussels on Thursday will also deal with the Russian troop deployment near Ukraine.
The Eastern Partnership Summit was organized to strengthen the ties of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine to the EU. Specifically, an economic and investment plan with a budget of 2.3 billion euros is planned for this purpose. It is expected to mobilize up to 17 billion euros in public and private investments. On the sidelines of the summit, EU Council President Charles Michel also pledged support for the warring Caucasian republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan in their conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Damper in terms of EU accession
However, the EU put a damper on the countries’ hopes of EU accession. The EU praised progress in political rapprochement and economic integration, but gave no indication of any prospects for the admission of the states. The final declaration of the meeting simply states that the European aspirations of the partners concerned are recognized.
The Eastern Partnership has existed since 2009. Belarus actually also belongs to the group – however, the EU’s relations with the leadership of the ex-Soviet republic are currently on hold due to the repression of the opposition there. On June 28, Belarus officially suspended its participation in the Eastern Partnership. dpa
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