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The advisers of the governments of Russia and Ukraine meet this January 26 in Paris in an attempt to achieve a solution to the military tension on their borders. France and Germany mediate in the four-way meeting to avoid a conflict that threatens the entire European Union.
Russia and Ukraine are meeting for the first time since the crisis began on their borders.
Paris is the scene of the four-way meeting in which the governments of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine participate. The parties involved are trying to prevent a further escalation of tensions amid the extensive deployment of Russian and NATO troops, in the Baltic Sea and in Eastern Europe.
Arriving in the French capital for the discussions, Andriy Yermak, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff, Kiev said his government sees the talks as a “strong signal” that there could be a peaceful solution.
“We finally managed to unlock the format and it is a strong signal of readiness for a peaceful agreement. There is hope for a constructive dialogue in the interest of Ukraine”, he published through his Twitter account when he was about to start the meeting.
Arrived in Paris with 🇺🇦 delegation to meet with Normandy4 leaders’ political advisers. We have finally managed to unlock the format – and it’s a strong signal of readiness for a peaceful settlement. Hope for a constructive dialogue in the 🇺🇦 interests.
— Andriy Yermak (@AndriyYermak) January 26, 2022
For its part, the French government hopes to make some progress that will spur broader efforts to de-escalate tensions.
A presidential official stressed that one of the goals is to set a date for talks on humanitarian measures and prisoner releases that would then lead to negotiations on the future of the Donbass region.
“Either President Putin will seek maximum tension with us, which means that it will be very difficult to advance the Normandy talks, or he assesses that in this great period of volatility, it is useful to use this format (of negotiation) to reduce tensions” , he highlighted.
The Kremlin has increased its military presence exponentially in the last year along the borders with Ukraine, infuriated by the clear intentions of its former ally in the former Soviet Union to join both the European Union and NATO.
Moscow regards the military alliance near its borders as an imminent threat to its territory, denying that it intends to invade its neighboring nation and instead blames NATO for undermining security in the region.
In this sense, the Putin Administration insists on a series of demands to the West that include guarantees that Kiev would never join the transatlantic organization and the withdrawal of Western troops from Eastern Europe, specifically from Bulgaria and Romania.
For their part, the allies of the United States demand proof from Russia that it does not plan to invade Ukrainian territory.
Moscow warns sanctions against Putin would be ‘destructive’
The talks in Paris also come as the West, led by the United States, threatens to impose both sweeping sanctions on Russia and direct sanctions on President Vladimir Putin over fears of a possible invasion of Ukraine.
And in the last few hours, the Russian government warned that imposing sanctions on its head of state would not affect him personally, but would be “politically destructive.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said US senators and congressmen discussing personal sanctions against Russia’s top leaders ignore the fact that they are legally prohibited from owning foreign assets, property and bank accounts.
Individual sanctions against Putin “would not be painful, but politically destructive,” emphasized Peskov, who has already pointed out that, if the measure proceeds, diplomatic relations between the two parties would be broken.
US President Joe Biden said on the eve of the meeting that personal sanctions against Putin, while an unusual step, could be seen as part of a concerted campaign by the US and its allies to convince Moscow that any new aggression against Ukraine would bring rapid and massive costs.
Despite efforts to promote a diplomatic solution to the crisis, Russia carried out new military exercises on land and sea and transferred more paratroopers and combat aircraft to Belarus, north of Ukraine, in what it says is the preparation of joint exercises there on next month.
Ukraine accuses Moscow of trying to sow panic in the area, while Russian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba says his country has not yet mustered enough forces for a large-scale offensive, but warned that does not mean it cannot. later.
Nearly eight years after Russia seized Crimea and backed separatist fighters in Donbass, the latest military moves have become the flashpoint in potentially the most dangerous confrontation since the Cold War.
Still, some remain hopeful at the meeting in France that marks a revival of the so-called Normandy talks, last held in 2019.
With Reuters, AP and local media