Washington
Top-level diplomatic meetings in Washington and Moscow on Monday will push for a resolution of the crisis between NATO and Russia over Ukraine, but Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov played down hopes of a swift breakthrough, saying that tensions persist.
After a grim U.S. assessment predicted high civilian casualties if Russia invades Ukraine, Peskov complained that U.S. and NATO leaders were refusing to accept Russia’s demands for security guarantees, including a ban on admission of Ukraine and other Eastern European countries to NATO.
“Instead, they prefer a rather agitated discussion of what they call Russia’s future invasion of Ukraine,” Peskov said, speaking to journalists Monday. “We have been hearing daily statements on the topic from the United States and the European capitals,” he added, blaming Western leaders for the “tense” atmosphere.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz promised a “united and decisive” response to any hostilities ahead of a Monday meeting with President Biden, his first White House visit since taking over from longtime German leader Angela Merkel in December.
Scholz says response to Russia will be ‘united and decisive’ if Ukraine is invaded
French President Emmanuel Macron, looking to de-escalate the crisis in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday, spoke to Biden by phone Sunday to share information on diplomatic efforts, according to the White House.
Peskov said Moscow was waiting to hear Macron’s proposal to defuse tensions but said the situation was “too complicated” to expect a breakthrough in one meeting.
Russian units have moved closer to Ukraine’s borders, according to military analysts, and a flotilla of Russian warships including six amphibious assault vessels from the Baltic and Northern Fleets gathered in the Mediterranean Sea ahead of massive Russian naval drills.
Russia began a military buildup near Ukraine in the fall, before demanding sweeping security guarantees from Washington and NATO, including an end to NATO expansion and moves to roll back alliance forces and equipment from Eastern Europe and the Baltic states.
Putin has yet to take action over U.S. and NATO rejection of these demands, amid fears the window for a diplomatic resolution is narrowing. U.S. and European officials have warned that Moscow would pay a massive cost in sanctions if it invades Ukraine.
Scholz has been under fire in Germany and from Ukraine, the United States and some NATO allies over his muted response to the crisis.
Macron, meanwhile, is trying revive the stalled 2015 Minsk peace agreement, a deal brokered by Berlin and Paris that has failed to end the eight-year war in eastern Ukraine between Kyiv’s forces and two Russian-backed separatist regions.
Putin insists in his talks with international leaders that Ukraine implement the deal and give autonomy to the regions, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for revisions.
The head of Ukraine’s Security Council, Oleksiy Danilov, last week warned the West against forcing Ukraine to implement the deal on Russian terms. Danilov said it would spark protests and chaos, destabilizing the nation and benefiting Moscow.
Macron will travel to Kyiv on Tuesday to meet Zelensky. Scholz is due to travel to Kyiv on Feb. 14 and Moscow a day later.
Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Monday the only acceptable de-escalation would be Russia withdrawing troops.
“A single withdrawal doesn’t mean de-escalation. So we need to see that everything that has been amassed along our border in the last year is steadily being withdrawn. That will be a clear message of de-escalation,” Kuleba said.
Berlin has faced criticism at home and in Ukraine over its refusal to supply lethal weapons to Kyiv or increase its troop presence on NATO’s eastern flank amid a buildup of Russian forces. U.S. officials warn that the buildup could lead to a lightning attack that seizes the Ukrainian capital in days and leaves as many as 50,000 civilians dead or injured.
In an interview with The Washington Post, Scholz on Sunday rebutted claims that his government has not done enough, after Berlin drew scorn from Kyiv for sending helmets to help with self-defense as the United States and other NATO members sent lethal weapons, warships and military jets.
“The reality is that Germany is the biggest NATO partner in continental Europe,” with the largest defense budget on the continent, Scholz said, adding that Berlin is “the strongest economic supporter of Ukraine.”
Berlin’s stance on sending arms, Scholz said Sunday, was consistent with its long-standing restrictions on exporting weapons into crisis regions.
Kuleba described Germany’s refusal to send Ukraine military aid and its blockage of some military equipment from third countries as “unfair.”
“We believe that there is room for greater action for Germany,” he said but added that Kyiv would continue to work with Berlin in other areas.
Scholz affirmed Germany’s willingness to consider blocking the operations of the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline — which will deepen Berlin’s reliance on Moscow — as part of any Western sanctions against Russia in event of an invasion.
“It is absolutely clear that in a situation like this, all options are on the table,” he said. “I will not get into any specifics, but our answer will be united and decisive.”
