Baerbock and Blinken demand from Moscow steps towards de-escalation
The German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, and the Secretary of State of the United States, Antony Blinken, warned Russia on Thursday against further aggression and demanded that Moscow take steps towards a de-escalation in the Ukraine conflict. “We agree that the only way out of the crisis is politics and this path can only be followed through dialogue,” Baerbock told a joint press conference, after bilateral talks and a meeting in Berlin attended by The head of French diplomacy, Jean Yves Le Drian, and the British Deputy Foreign Minister, James Cleverly, also attended. “If one thing has become clear, it is that the diplomacy of the talks around the Russia-Ukraine issue and the coordination between us could not be more intense,” said Baerbock, who criticized Russia for its military maneuvers and signs of its disinterest in a diplomatic solution to the conflict. “We urgently demand that Russia take steps towards de-escalation,” said the green politician, who warned that any aggressive action will have “serious consequences” and stressed that Germany must ensure European peace with “a protective shield.”
Blinken also reiterated the United States’ warnings to the Kremlin and stressed again that his country and its allies agree that Russia will have to reckon with rapid, high and massive costs for any aggression against Ukraine. The US Secretary of State stressed that they are studying every scenario of action by Moscow and are prepared to react to all of them. Blinken acknowledged that, in addition to military actions, Russia hides “many other instruments up its sleeve” and referred specifically to “hybrid attacks and destabilizing activities.” But it does not matter which path Russia chooses, as it will find itself merged with the United States and its allies, he added. Regarding the catalog of new sanctions that the West is preparing in the event of aggression by Russia, the head of German diplomacy stated that they will be carried out “even if these measures have economic consequences for us.” Baerbock thus made reference to the possible closure of the Russian-German gas pipeline Nord Stream 2 and the threat of a blockade of the supply of Russian gas to this country.
“Gas is not flowing yet” through that pipeline, said Blinken, who warned the Russian government against using “energy as a weapon” in the current conflict. “We cannot decide the path that Moscow will take, but we can make clear what the consequences will be,” said the US diplomatic leader, who stressed that “if Russian troops cross the Ukrainian border, we will act.” Blinken underscored his country’s unity with the German federal government and praised institutions such as the European Union, NATO and the OSCE. “They give us a force that Russia does not have,” he said, commenting afterwards that cooperation in the Ukraine conflict not only protects that country, but also the rules of the international order, which are “the basis of decades of peace, security and well-being in the world.
The meeting of the top diplomatic officials from Germany, the United States, France and the United Kingdom took place hours after US President Joe Biden publicly expressed his belief that Russia will eventually invade Ukraine. Biden warned his Russian colleague, Vladimir Putin, that such an action would have “catastrophic” consequences for his country. Moscow categorically rejected Biden’s accusations on Thursday and accused him of leading to a further escalation of the situation with his statements. Tensions between the Kremlin and the West have risen sharply since the massive deployment of Russian troops to the Ukraine border, a move that military observers see as a precursor to an invasion. Moscow denies any intention to assault its neighbor, but demands NATO guarantees that it will not continue with an eastward expansion and will not allow Ukraine to join the organization, demands that the defensive alliance rejects.
Blinken visited Ukraine on Wednesday where he met with its president, Volodimir Selenski, to discuss ways to get out of the crisis and to whom he guaranteed Washington’s support in the conflict. The US Secretary of State was received shortly after the meeting with his European colleagues by the German Federal Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, and this Friday he is scheduled to meet in Geneva with the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, to try to resolve differences and remove firewood to the conflict over Ukraine.
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