NATO assessed this Tuesday with “cautious optimism” that Russia has shown signs of continuing the diplomatic channel in the crisis with Ukraineafter Moscow announced the withdrawal of some of the military units it maintains with that country.
(In context: Russia announces the beginning of the withdrawal of troops from the border with Ukraine)
“There are signs from Moscow that diplomacy should continue. This gives reason for cautious optimism. But for the moment, we have not seen any signs of de-escalation on the ground,” warned the Alliance Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, at a press conference prior to the meeting of allied defense ministers on Wednesday and Thursday in Brussels.
(Also: In Ukraine, war games that are not a game)
The world is waiting for the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz which began this Tuesday in the Kremlinshortly after the announcement of a beginning of Russian military withdrawal from the border with Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, we are going to spend a large part of our time today on the issue of the situation in Europe, security and the ongoing talks on this matter, especially in relation to Ukraine,” Putin declared at the start of the meeting, according to public television images. Russian.
“Of course, it is clear that we must now talk about the difficult security situation in Europe,” said Scholz, who declared himself “delighted” to hold these talks.
Both leaders were sitting at a six-meter long table, the Kremlin’s anticovid health measure for Putin’s foreign guests who refused to undergo a test, according to Russian protocol.
This meeting is aimed at defusing a crisis between Russia and Western countries.fueled by the deployment of more than 100,000 Russian troops near the borders with Ukraine, leading Westerners to fear an invasion.
Russia, which annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014, has since supported pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and denies any intention to invade its neighbor.
Instead, it declares itself threatened by NATO’s expansion into Eastern Europe and demands “security guarantees”, especially that Ukraine will not be admitted to the Atlantic Alliance. These demands have been rejected by Westerners.
Boris Johnson warns that information from Ukraine continues to show signs of escalation
The latest information from the Russian-Ukrainian border is still not “encouraging” regarding a de-escalation, despite the announcement of a withdrawal of certain troops and an “opening” of the “dialogue” by Moscow, British Prime Minister Boris said on Tuesday. Johnson.
“The information we are seeing today is not encouraging. Russian field hospitals are being built near the border with Ukraine, in Belarus, which can only be interpreted as preparation for an invasion” and “more battalion tactical groups are approaching the border,” Johnson said, calling on Western countries to stand “steadfast and united.
For its part, France considered a “positive sign” the withdrawal of Russian troops from the border with Ukraine, if this information is confirmed, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said at a press conference on Tuesday.
“If confirmed, this would be a positive sign, a sign of the de-escalation that we have been calling for with all our strength for weeks,” Attal assured, advancing talks between heads of state “in the coming hours.”
The truth is that Ukraine will believe the withdrawal of some Russian military units from its borders when it sees it with its own eyes, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba said on Tuesday.
“There are different statements from the Russian Federation all the time. We have a rule: we don’t believe it when we hear it, but when we see it,” he told an online news conference. “When we see the withdrawal (of the Russian soldiers) then we will believe in a de-escalation,” he added.
INTERNATIONAL WRITING
*With information from AFP and EFE
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