Status: 02/19/2022 11:23 a.m
Chancellor Scholz sees the danger of war in Europe as still great – but continues to focus on negotiations with Russia. All channels of communication are open. The cost to Russia in the event of an attack would be high.
Concerns about a military conflict in Ukraine determine the course of the Munich Security Conference, at which politicians from Russia are not present this year for the first time in 30 years. Chancellor Olaf Scholz sees the situation as dramatic: “War is threatening again in Europe. And the risk is anything but averted,” said Scholz at the beginning of his speech. All other global challenges such as the corona pandemic or the fight against climate change are currently lagging behind.
The massive deployment of Russian troops in the border area “is not justified by anything,” said Scholz. He again warned the leadership in Moscow of the consequences of an attack on Ukraine. “Any further violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity will have high costs for Russia – politically, economically and geostrategically.”
The chancellor continued to show his willingness to engage in diplomacy with Russia. “As much diplomacy as possible without being naive – that’s the claim,” he says. Russia has raised the issue of Ukraine’s possible NATO membership as a “casus belli”. “That’s paradoxical: Because there is no decision to be made.”
Stoltenberg: “No signs of a real withdrawal yet”
A massive Russian troop deployment, which according to Western figures is now around 150,000 soldiers, has fueled fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine for weeks. Moscow denies any plans to attack, citing that it feels threatened by NATO. NATO and the USA, in turn, accuse Russia of using false information, among other things, to create a pretext for an attack on Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has again called on Russia to withdraw its troops from the Ukrainian border. “We don’t see any signs of a real deduction yet,” he said in Munich. “On the contrary: the concentration of troops will continue.” It is not too late for Russia to change the course of the escalation.
Von der Leyen: high costs and serious consequences for Russia
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Moscow of a “blatant attempt” to rewrite the rules of the world order. She again warned Russia of “high costs” in the event of an invasion of Ukraine. “If the Kremlin strikes, we can impose high costs and serious consequences on Moscow’s economic interests,” emphasized the head of the commission. An attack on Ukraine could cost Russia “a prosperous future,” said von der Leyen. She also denounced an alliance between China and Russia to enforce “might makes right”.
Biden: Russian attack imminent
US President Joe Biden was also concerned about the situation. In his view, Russia plans to attack Ukraine in the coming days – including the populous capital Kiev. “Right now I’m convinced he made the decision,” Biden said, referring to Putin.
“We have reason to believe that the Russian military is planning and planning to attack Ukraine in the coming week, in the coming days,” the US President said in Washington. He added: “We believe they will attack the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, a city of 2.8 million innocent people.”
However, Biden again emphasized that it was not too late to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict. Russia still has the choice between war and diplomacy.