The conflict will be the main topic of the Foreign Affairs Council that will bring together the ministers of the Twenty-seven in Brussels next Monday
The growing tension in the Ukraine crisis seemed, until this Friday, unstoppable. However, the meeting between Lavrov and Blinken in Geneva was a first step towards an understanding that rules out, at least for now, an imminent confrontation. In this complicated puzzle that mixes the US, Russia, Ukraine and NATO, Europe remains vigilant and maintains its commitment to diplomatic channels to resolve differences with Moscow. However, as he has reiterated in recent days, his pulse will not shake and, if the attacks on Kiev’s sovereignty continue, he will respond to Russia with “massive” economic and fiscal sanctions.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, warned this in her speech before the World Economic Forum. “We want to resolve the conflict through dialogue, but if the situation worsens, if there are more threats to the territorial integrity of Ukraine, we will respond with massive economic and fiscal sanctions,” he said.
Europe therefore remains very vigilant against Moscow’s threats to invade its borders. The conflict will be the main topic of the Foreign Affairs Council that will bring together the ministers of the Twenty-seven in Brussels next Monday. A meeting in which it is expected that the States will discuss the possible economic sanctions against Russia and specify the course of action if there is a military invasion in Ukraine.
Bulgaria and Romania
Meanwhile, the movement of troops on the border continues. One of Russia’s demands on the US includes, precisely, the withdrawal of NATO troops from Bulgaria and Romania. It is, according to Lavrov, “one of the pillars” of the Russian negotiation proposal, which stresses the need for “an end to the expansion of NATO and the deployment of weapons systems near the borders with Russia.”
Bulgaria yesterday rejected Moscow’s de-escalation claims and defended that it is not a “second category” member of the Atlantic Alliance. Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkov wanted to make it clear that his country is “sovereign and has long since decided to become a member of NATO.” In his message, the president stressed that decisions on how to organize the defense of the country are the sole responsibility of Bulgaria, in coordination with its international partners. Even so, he urged the Kremlin to commit to “constructive dialogue” and to “strictly” apply international commitments.
The Government of Romania expressed itself in the same sense and branded Russia’s demand for the withdrawal of NATO troops from its territory as “unacceptable”. The Romanian Foreign Ministry stressed that the deployment of military troops is a “strictly defensive” response to Russia’s “increasingly aggressive” behavior in Eastern Europe. Similarly, he hoped that the dialogue with Moscow would continue and the current tensions would be reduced.
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