ANDhe Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that US and NATO responses failed to take into account Russia’s fundamental concerns, referring to the request not to expand the military alliance. “The key issue was ignored”The Kremlin said in a statement after Putin’s telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that Moscow does not want wars. “But neither are we going to allow our interests to be crudely outraged, ignored”, assured. While the president of Ukraine, Volodymir Zelenski, asked NATO to say openly if it will allow the entry of Kiev to the military bloc. Germany refused to participate in the arms shipment, although it did make progress on possible sanctions, a decision that Foreign Minister Olaf Scholz had been cautious about. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned Russia that one of the possible sanctions could affect the German-Russian gas pipeline Nord-Stream 2.
dialogue without confrontation
This Friday, Putin and Macron expressed their agreement on the importance of a de-escalation of tensions, in turn affirming that they will maintain dialogue to resolve the crisis, as specified by the French government in a statement after the phone call. Macron also asked Russia to respect “the sovereignty of states.” “President Putin did not express any offensive intention” against Ukraine and “he said very clearly that he was not looking for confrontation”, detailed the Elysee Palace in the text where they also announced a call between the president of Ukraine, and Macron.
Meanwhile, Putin pointed out that the key issues that Moscow raised in the security agreements were not considered. “US and NATO responses failed to address Russia’s fundamental concerns”, the Kremlin said in a statement about its recent dialogue with its French counterpart. “The key question was ignored, which is how the United States and its allies foresee […] implement the principle that no one should strengthen their security to the detriment of other countries”, they specified in reference to the guarantees requested by Moscow on the non-expansion of NATO to the east, the withdrawal of the alliance’s forces in the countries who entered the military agreement after 1997.
On the other hand, Putin underlined Russia’s willingness to continue betting on a resolution of the conflict in eastern Ukraine, further insisted on negotiations with the Normandy Four format (Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France), who held an extensive meeting on January 26 in Paris and scheduled another meeting in February.
According to the Macron government, the dialogue is difficult although it concludes that the “discussion channels are open”. This morning the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian “the ball is on Putin’s side” “Does he want to be the one who affirms that Russia is a power of imbalance, or is he willing to show a de-escalation?”, he asked The chancellor.
While his Russian counterpart, Serguei Lavrov insisted that he wants diplomacy to prevail and not war. “We have chosen the path of diplomacy for many decades”, declared to the press in Russia. “You have to work with everyone, that’s our principle”, he highlighted.
“If it depends on Russia, there will be no war. We do not want wars. But neither are we going to allow our interests to be grossly outraged, ignored.”, he added.
The Nordstream pipeline
This Friday Lavrov also had a telephone conversation with his German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, where they expressed their support for the meetings and the work of the Normandy Four for the fulfillment of the Minsk agreements in view of a resolution of the conflict in the east of Ukraine, Donbass region. Lavrov drew his attention to the security guarantees requested from the US and NATO, and told him that Russia’s priority is that NATO does not expand and threaten its territory.
Although before the Bundestag in Berlin, Baerbock assured that the Nordstream 2 agreement could be affected if Russia decides to invade Ukraine. The German chancellor, for his part, avoids linking any type of sanction to the gas pipeline agreed by him and the former Social Democratic chancellor Gerhard Schröder (1998-2005). The gas pipeline is already finished, although it has yet to be adjusted to European regulations.
“We don’t need this panic”
The Kremlin also said it was willing to receive the Ukrainian president in Moscow, Saint Petersburg or Sochi to discuss the normalization of relations between the two countries. For his part, Zelensky replied that he is prepared for a meeting with Putin in any format.. “I am not afraid of any format, bilateral, or whatever. No matter. I’m ready”, he specified quoted by the Russian news agency TASS, in a press conference with international media. Although he said he would not go to the spa town of Sochi. “What is the point? Let me ski? (…) I am talking about a serious dialogue”, says TASS.
Zelensky later called on the countries of the Western military alliance to avoid creating panic over a possible attack on Ukraine’s borders. President Zelensky believes that the White House is panicking over an imminent Russian attack, according to reports Guardian. “Outside they have a feeling that there is war here. It is not the case”, he claimed. “I’m not saying an escalation isn’t possible… we don’t need this panic,” he added quoted by the British newspaper. This position was also shared by Germany’s foreign intelligence chief Bruno Kahl in an interview in which he said he doesn’t think Russia has yet decided whether to invade. “The crisis can unfold in a thousand ways”Kahl was quoted as saying by German signal Deutsche Welle. A meeting of the UN Security Council is expected next Monday to address the crisis in Ukraine.
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