US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed in principle to hold a summit on the Ukraine crisis, according to the US and France. French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said he had proposed a summit on “security and strategic stability in Europe” to the two heads of state.
Biden agreed to the meeting “in principle” on the condition that there would be no Russian invasion of Ukraine, the US President’s Office confirmed. The meeting is scheduled for February 24th. “We are always ready for diplomacy,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki. “But we are also prepared to take quick and severe consequences if Russia decides to go to war instead.”
The Kremlin was basically open to a summit. “Of course we don’t rule it out,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Interfax news agency. Putin and Biden could decide to meet in person or over the phone at any time. “So far there are no concrete plans to do so.” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov will hold discussions this Monday. Le Drian announced this via Twitter. (02/21/2022)
Putin convenes national security council
In view of the fighting in eastern Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin has convened the National Security Council. The meeting should take place on Monday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, according to the Interfax agency in Moscow. Peskow described the situation in the conflict area as “extremely tense”. “So far we haven’t seen any signs of relaxation.” When asked whether Russia would intervene directly in the Donbass should the pro-Russian separatists there ask for it, Peskov did not answer.
The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has also called a special session for this Monday. The OSCE has long tried to mediate in the conflict. So far, however, Russia has strictly rejected this and has recently stopped attending a number of meetings.
In addition, the foreign ministers of the EU states are also advising this Monday. The increasing number of ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine are of particular concern. The Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba is also expected to have breakfast together. Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will represent Germany.
Belarusian Army Chief: Russian Troop Withdrawal Partly Depends On NATO Withdrawal
According to the government in Minsk, the withdrawal of Russian forces from Belarus depends in large part on NATO withdrawing its soldiers from areas near the borders with Belarus and Russia. “Russian soldiers will only return to their bases if there is an objective need and we decide that,” says Belarusian army chief Viktor Gulevich. “Not least, this will also depend on our Western colleagues. The forces and equipment deployed in Eastern Europe – also near Belarus – are one of the factors influencing the development of the situation.”
Belarus borders on NATO members Poland, Latvia and Lithuania and on the south on Ukraine. Gulevich’s comments leave room for the possibility that Russian soldiers will stay in Belarus permanently. The joint exercises by Belarus and Russia were due to end on Sunday but were extended citing military activity near the two countries. (02/21/2022)
USA: Targeted killings and kidnappings during Russian invasion of Ukraine
The United States says it has information about serious human rights violations if Russia invades Ukraine. “In particular, we have credible information suggesting that the Russian armed forces are preparing lists of identified Ukrainians to be killed or sent to camps following a military occupation,” US Ambassador to the UN Bathsheba Nell Crocker wrote in Geneva to the UN Human Rights Officer Michelle Bachelet. The letter is available from the German Press Agency.
It also said the US had intelligence that “Russian forces are likely to use lethal measures to disperse peaceful protests.” The United States therefore fears that torture will be used as in “previous Russian actions”. The target would be people who would resist Russia, “including Russian and Belarusian dissidents in exile in Ukraine, journalists and anti-corruption activists, and vulnerable populations such as religious and ethnic minorities and LGBTQI+ people.” The abbreviation stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, inter and queer people and the plus sign as a placeholder for other identities. The US did not disclose its sources for the information.
According to media reports, the US government has intelligence information that Moscow is said to have ordered its military to proceed with plans for an invasion of Ukraine. In the West, there are fears that the head of the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin, could use the fighting between Ukrainian government troops and the forces of the separatist “People’s Republics” in the Donbass as a pretext for an invasion of the neighboring country. According to the US, Russia has gathered around 150,000 soldiers at the border. However, Moscow has been denying plans of attack for weeks. (02/21/2022)
Von der Leyen outlines possible sanctions
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has underscored the West’s threat that Russia could face “massive consequences” if it attacked Ukraine. In an interview with the ARD program “Anne Will”, she said about the planned sanctions package: “For the Kremlin, the financial sanctions mean that if they carry out military aggression against Ukraine, Russia will in principle be cut off from the international financial markets.”
And the economic sanctions affect “all the goods that Russia urgently needs to modernize and diversify its economy, but which are produced by us, where we have global dominance and which Russia cannot replace”. Russia has a clear weakness, that is its economy.
Referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, von der Leyen said: “It will not be easy for him to explain to his people why he is attacking Ukraine and why he is accepting these massive consequences for Russia with open eyes.” According to Western sources, Russia has gathered around 150,000 soldiers on the border with neighboring Ukraine, but denies any plans of attack. (02/20/2022)
Melnyk: “Failure of German foreign policy”
The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, has urgently appealed to the federal government to supply his country with defensive weapons to protect against the feared invasion of Russian troops. Melnyk agreed image: “Today we don’t just need words, not just expressions of solidarity, we need weapons for defense. These weapons, which Germany could supply, are still being refused to us.”
However, should Germany continue to refuse and Russian President Vladimir Putin actually invade Ukraine in the coming days or weeks, this would be a “failure of German foreign policy” and a “declaration of bankruptcy”https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/ “And the Ukrainians will never forget this betrayal.” Even the Netherlands, which would have had a position similar to that of Germany, changed their mind a few days ago and are now supplying defensive weapons to Ukraine.” (02/20/2022)
Russia and Belarus want to continue military exercises
Amid the severe tensions in the Ukraine conflict, Belarus and Russia plan to continue holding joint military exercises. This was announced by Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Chrenin on Sunday. As a result, Russian troops will not be withdrawn from Belarus for the time being, as previously announced.
The extension was justified with increasing military activities on the borders with Belarus and Russia and with the escalation of the situation in eastern Ukraine. According to NATO estimates, there are currently around 30,000 Russian soldiers on Belarusian territory. (02/20/2022)
New attacks in eastern Ukraine – Red Cross is “very concerned”
In the conflict area in eastern Ukraine, there were new attacks on Sunday night. The insurgents in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions announced in the morning that villages had been shelled several times since midnight. The Ukrainian army also listed several violations of the current ceasefire in the morning. The respective data could not be verified independently. Nothing was initially known about victims. The military had already spoken of two soldiers killed on Saturday.
According to international observers, the number of ceasefire violations is rising massively. In the Luhansk region, 975 violations were found, including 860 explosions, according to a statement by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) on Sunday night. 591 violations were reported for the Donetsk region, including 535 explosions. However, these figures still refer to the situation on Friday.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also complained that at least two pumping stations in the Donetsk region had failed due to shelling in the past few days. These supplied more than a million people with drinking water. “We are very concerned about developments in eastern Ukraine,” said Florence Gillette, head of the ICRC delegation in Ukraine. She appealed to the protection of the population during military operations. (02/20/2022)