Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with his Foreign Minister to discuss the crisis with Ukraine. /
The Russian Foreign Minister has met with President Putin and has proposed that diplomatic talks “continue and increase”
The presumed certainty of the United States that Russia will invade Ukraine, if not this Wednesday, February 16, as it initially assured, then yes in the coming days, continues to be perceived in Moscow as a “provocation”, in the recent words of President Vladimir Putin to his American counterpart Joe Biden, and is considered, according to the Russian foreign spokeswoman, María Zajárova, an “intolerable pressure”.
Until now, the Russian authorities have repeated over and over again that there are no plans to attack Ukraine, although they have also rejected calls from the West to withdraw their troops from the border with that country, which is what Washington and European capitals it would be considered the main sign of “de-escalation”.
In this context, Moscow gave this Monday one of lime and another of sand. On the one hand, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, said that it is necessary to “intensify contacts” with the US and NATO, since, in his words, “there is always a possibility” of reaching an agreement. Meanwhile, on the other hand, the Duma (Lower House of the Russian Parliament) has made the decision to put in Putin’s hands the possibility of recognizing the independence of Donbass, a threat that would blow up any possibility of a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine. .
Russian legislators agreed on Monday two variants of the text that will be discussed this Tuesday within the Council of the State Duma (Lower House of the Russian Parliament) to send to President Vladimir Putin with the request that he recognize the independence of the rebel republics of Donetsk and Lugansk (Donbass), both integrated into the territory of Ukraine in accordance with the UN and International Law, as was already done in relation to the Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in 2008.
Sources consulted by the RIA-Nóvosti agency maintain that, after the previous debate in the Council of the Duma, two possible variants of the document have been approved: «The first consists of adopting a draft resolution with a direct appeal to the Head of State on the need to recognize the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic immediately and the second to submit its text beforehand to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other levels of the Government to obtain the pertinent comments and consider its approval taking into account the positions expressed».
Whether one or the other version is chosen would influence the timetable for its implementation, but it will not change the initiative, since both the Russian Foreign Ministry and the country’s government as a whole have repeatedly suggested the advisability of Donetsk and Lugansk becoming in independent states. Either to later be annexed by Russia, as happened in March 2014 in the case of Crimea, or to become Moscow’s protectorates, as has been the case of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. In fact, Moscow has long distributed Russian passports, more than 100,000 according to the local press, among the inhabitants of Donbass, whom they consider their citizens.
Donetsk and Lugansk
According to Duma Chairman Viacheslav Volodin, members of United Russia, the Kremlin party, consultations on the wording of the request to Putin between the various parliamentary groups ended last Friday. The idea of promoting the recognition of Donetsk and Lugansk, something that in Kiev they consider “adding more fuel to the fire”, started almost a month ago from the deputies of the Communist Party of Russia (KPRF), but was immediately supported by the rest of the the parties present in the Chamber.
Volodin, whose parliamentary faction is the majority in the chamber, reiterated on Friday that the measure is necessary, since, he pointed out, “Kiev ignores the Minsk agreements”, whose seventh anniversary was celebrated on Saturday, February 12. Both he and the spokesmen for the rest of the parties pointed out that “the safety of our citizens and compatriots must be guaranteed” in Donbass.
After Georgia tried to recover South Ossetia by force, in August 2008, Moscow sent troops to the area, defeated the Georgian forces and recognized the independence of that enclave and also of Abkhazia. Subsequently, as independent states, it concluded with them two “military cooperation” agreements, which allowed the deployment of the Russian Army in their respective territories. De facto, South Ossetia and Abkhazia are currently Russian protectorates, where Georgia does not exercise any influence. Exactly the same thing could happen with Donetsk and Lugansk.
Meanwhile, Putin held separate meetings on Monday with Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, this time using a table that was even longer than the one that could be seen the other day when he received the French president in the Kremlin, Emmanuel Macron. The top Russian leader asked his Foreign Minister if “there is a possibility of reaching an agreement with our partners on the key issues that concern us or is it about getting involved in an endless process of talks.”
Lavrov replied that, indeed, there is such a danger and “we have warned that it would be inadmissible for the talks to go on endlessly when they are issues that require a solution today.” At the same time, the head of Russian Diplomacy pointed out that “there is always a possibility” of reaching agreements.
In his words, “we must continue and intensify contacts with the US and NATO with the commitment to clarify that we are right, also being prepared to listen to counter-arguments (…) it seems to me that our possibilities -for dialogue- are far from exhausted” . In his meeting with Shoigu, Putin heard from him that “part of the ongoing military maneuvers are in the final phase and others will end shortly”, in a scene of apparent detente.
US closes embassy in Kiev
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, announced on Monday the closure of the US Embassy in Kiev and the transfer of diplomatic personnel to the city of Lviv, near the border with Poland. Blinken explained that it is a “temporary relocation” of the few personnel that still remained in the Ukrainian capital “due to the acceleration of the accumulation of Russian forces” on the border with Ukraine, CNN reports.
“I have ordered these measures to be taken first for the safety of our staff. We strongly urge any US citizen remaining in Ukraine to immediately leave the country,” Blinken said. “These precautionary precautions do not in any way undermine our support for and commitments to Ukraine. Our commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity is unwavering,” he stressed.
“We also continue our sincere efforts to reach a diplomatic solution and remain in contact with the Russian government following President (Joe) Biden’s call with President (Vladimir) Putin and my conversation with the (Russian) Foreign Minister. Sergei) Lavrov,” he added.