Several Western countries on Wednesday (December 22) accused Russia of “escalating” tensions on the Ukrainian border and promised to put forward a united front when negotiations with Moscow began in January.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Balbok said she was “very worried” after Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that his country was prepared to take military measures.
Balbok said her concerns have intensified because these comments were made before the “further mobilization of troops at the border” with Ukraine, and the “major crisis” can only be resolved through dialogue.
When asked about the new troop redeployment, the US State Department told AFP that Washington and its allies are “closely” monitoring the situation.
A spokesperson for the US State Department stated that “Russia continues to escalate and has not changed its military buildup on the border”.
Western allies accuse Moscow of gathering tens of thousands of troops on the Ukrainian border to prepare for a possible invasion, while the Kremlin believes that Washington and other NATO countries are invaders because of the military and political support of Kiev.
The State Department official added: “Any further aggression against Ukraine will have huge consequences and will pay a heavy price,” he reiterated earlier warnings about new sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies.
The State Department spokesperson added: “We strongly urge Russia to ease the situation by withdrawing troops from the border with Ukraine.”
“Our goal is to ease the situation through diplomacy; the United States intends to conduct diplomacy through multiple channels in January.”
2022 talks
As the negotiation agreement approaches in early 2022, both groups, Russia and the West, are vacillating.
Discussions will take place on parallel tracks between Russia and the United States, NATO and Russia, and at the level of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, of which Washington, Moscow and Kiev are all members.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Russian state-sponsored news network RT: “It has been agreed that at the beginning of next year, the first round (negotiation) should be a bilateral relationship between our negotiators and US negotiators. get in touch with.” .
He added that NATO discussions will also begin in January, and Washington has also indicated a similar timetable.
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki emphasized in a conversation with reporters on Tuesday that “the open route of diplomatic discussions and contacts that are taking place, we want to continue, and we want to continue.”
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Brinken and senior European diplomat Joseph Borrell discussed the situation in a telephone conversation on Wednesday.
Brussels said in a statement: “They agree that any discussions on European security will be conducted under the coordination and participation of the European Union.”
President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jack Sullivan said last week that the United States is “fundamentally prepared for dialogue” and will closely coordinate with its European allies.
But even in the upcoming dialogue, Putin’s tone on Tuesday was firm.
He said that Russia “will react strongly to unfriendly steps”, adding that he wants to emphasize “we have every right to do this”.
The White House downplayed the Russian leader’s remarks.
“President Putin has his own audience. It is not the United States of America,” Pasaki said on Wednesday.
“NATO is a defensive alliance. We have no intention of aggression against Russia,” she continued.
“The aggression we saw on the Ukrainian border, that kind of belligerent rhetoric has always come from one side…I think anyone can see this clearly.”
The Russian ambassador to the European Union said on Thursday that Russia is not preparing for a military invasion of Ukraine.
In an interview with German newspaper Le Monde, Vladimir Chizhov stated that Russia hopes to support Russian-speaking people and compatriots living in other countries, but he added that Moscow has never said This uses military means.
“Russia has no plans to attack any country. I can assure you that there is currently no Russian army preparing for the invasion of Ukraine,” Chizov said.
