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German Chancellor Olaf Schulz will visit Kiev on Monday in an effort to defuse the “dangerous” threat of a Russian invasion that might spark Europe’s worst crisis since the Cold War, amid warnings of a worsening war risk. After the tension reached its climax with Russia’s deployment of 130,000 troops along the Ukrainian border, it is not yet known whether this situation will prompt Berlin to reconsider its reluctance to deliver weapons to Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Schulz will arrive in Kiev on Monday to continue diplomatic efforts aimed at defused the “serious” threat posed by Russian invasion of Ukraine Which might lead to the worst crisis in Europe since the Cold War.
On Tuesday, Schultz is scheduled to go to Moscow, following in the footsteps of French President Emmanuel Macron, who visited it last week. At a time when Washington asserts that Russia might invade Ukraine “at any time”, the Westerners began evacuating their embassies there.
Germany, accused of being too lenient towards Russia, toughened its tone on Sunday. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said, “We are in the midst of a military conflict, a war in Eastern Europe, and Russia is responsible.” For his part, Shultz warned that Western sanctions would be “immediate” once morest Russia if it invaded Ukraine.
The Russian ambassador to Sweden, Viktor Tatarantsev, had confirmed hours ago, in an interview with the Swedish newspaper “Aftonbladet”, that Moscow “does not care” regarding the sanctions. A source in the German government said that the situation had reached a “critical” stage, adding, “We became increasingly concerned (…) We believe that the situation is critical, very dangerous.”
The tension reached its peak with the presence of 130,000 Russian soldiers stationed along the Ukrainian border and carrying out military exercises in all directions. It was not known whether this escalation would prompt Germany to reconsider its reluctance to deliver weapons to Ukraine.
The fate of the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which was built to take Russian gas to Europe via Germany, is also unknown. The German chancellor stressed last week that the pipeline project “will not go ahead” if Russia invades Ukraine.
US President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, agreed during a phone call on Sunday to continue the “diplomacy” and “deterrence” approaches towards Russia. Zelensky invited Biden to visit Kiev, to show Washington’s support for his country in the face of the threat of a Russian invasion.
The Ukrainian presidency quoted Zelensky as saying to Biden, “I am confident that your visit to Kiev in the coming days (…) will be a strong signal and will contribute to stabilizing the situation.” However, Washington never referred to this call in its statement regarding the phone call between the two presidents, during which Biden once more promised a “quick and firm” response from the United States, in coordination with its allies, in the event of a Russian attack.
Intervention of France 24 correspondent in Russia
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to visit northern Europe and the Baltic states this week to continue his diplomatic efforts. “There is still opportunity for de-escalation and diplomacy, and the Prime Minister will continue to work tirelessly alongside our allies to bring Russia back from the brink,” a Downing Street spokesman said.
Moscow, which annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014, denies having any hostile intention towards Ukraine, but requires a set of demands to stop the escalation, including ensuring that Kiev does not join NATO, a condition rejected by the Westerners.
Several Western countries have asked their nationals to leave Ukraine or have begun evacuating their embassies. And the Dutch airline “KLM” announced Saturday the suspension of all flights in Ukrainian airspace until further notice.
FRANCE 24/AFP
