As Russia continues to deploy troops around Ukraine, including in Belarus, officially for exercises, and diplomatic ballet continues in hopes of averting the worst, Ukrainian President Zelensky is calling on his compatriots not to panic.
After the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, it is the turn of the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, to have stopped over on January 19 in Kiev, two days before meeting his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Geneva.
Diplomacy has not said its last word
Even if the American president, Joe Biden, yesterday considered a Russian incursion into Ukraine likely, the Western chancelleries are trying by all means not to close the door to dialogue with Moscow. While working to coordinate their efforts, reports the Ukrainian National News Agency Ukrinform, which indicates: “The EU, NATO, the United States and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe [OSCE] coordinate their position in the face of the threat of Russian aggression” and Ukraine.
“A first quadripartite conference call has been organized” to this effect, as indicated on its website by the European Union External Action Service (EEAS). During this multilateral conversation, in which Josep Borrell for the EU took part, “Antony Blinken, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and Poland, which holds the rotating presidency of the OSCE”, the parties involved “discussed the buildup of Russian military assets around Ukraine, as well as current bilateral and international diplomatic efforts related to Russia’s attempts to redefine security arrangements in Europe”.
On January 24, EU Foreign Ministers are due to continue their discussions on this subject, and Josep Borrell has invited State Secretary Blinken to join the meeting.
Sacred union in Ukraine?
Present on all fronts, the same Antony Blinken openly called the Ukrainian political class to order. Because while the Western powers want to give the image of a “strong, united and unambiguous transatlantic front”, President Volodymyr Zelensky, through his Ministry of Justice, wanted to incarcerate his rival and predecessor, Petro Poroshenko, for “high treason”. The latter is accused of having, in the midst of the conflict, bought coal from the Donbass separatists to avoid an energy shortage. Summoned to court, Poroshenko risked being arrested unless he posted bail equivalent to around 30 million euros. The court was to make its decision on January 19,
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