Status: 02/16/2022 4:46 p.m
Contrary to Russia’s announcement, the USA and NATO see no signs of a withdrawal of Russian troops from the border area with Ukraine. At the same time, the crisis talks between the USA and the EU are continuing.
So far, the US government has seen no signs of an end to the Russian troop deployment on the border with Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told MSNBC television that no withdrawal of Russian forces has been observed so far. “They remain gathered in a very menacing manner along the Ukrainian border.” Referring to Moscow’s announcement that troops would be withdrawn, Blinken said: “What Russia says is one thing. What Russia is doing is another.” It would be good “if they put their money where their mouth is, but we haven’t seen that until now”.
Russia surprisingly announced on Tuesday that after maneuvers, troops had begun to be withdrawn from the Ukrainian border. According to NATO findings, Moscow is continuing its troop deployment in the border area, contrary to the announcement. “So far we haven’t seen any de-escalation on the ground. On the contrary: Russia seems to be continuing the military build-up,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels on the fringes of a meeting of the defense ministers of the allied states.
All sides emphasize readiness for dialogue
The Russian Ministry of Defense, on the other hand, emphasized that further parts of the troops would be withdrawn and published video material on which the withdrawal of combat units from the Crimean peninsula should be seen. The Russian Presidential Office also announced that Putin prefers diplomacy to solve the crisis and sees it as a positive sign that US President Joe Biden is also seeking dialogue. The Kremlin welcomes Biden’s direct appeal to Russian citizens. But it would be even better if he had asked the Ukrainian people to stop shooting at each other.
The US President had also previously called for a diplomatic solution to the conflict, but at the same time again threatened “violent sanctions” if Russia invaded Ukraine. Biden said he still thinks a Russian invasion is possible, despite the signs of relaxation from Moscow.
Conversations between four and more eyes
Meanwhile, talks on ways to defuse the crisis continue at multiple levels. After his meeting with Putin yesterday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to call Biden in the evening. As the White House announced, the talks are part of the “continued close coordination” between the United States and its allies. Scholz and Biden last exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis in a conference call with several Western heads of state and government on Friday.
The heads of state and government of the European Union want to coordinate their further course of action in the Ukraine crisis on Thursday in Brussels. This was announced by a spokesman for EU Council President Charles Michel on Twitter.
The informal conversation is scheduled to last about an hour. Chancellor Scholz is also expected to attend the meeting. Michel called on Russia to take “concrete and tangible steps towards de-escalation”. The EU cannot forever try diplomacy on one side when the other side is piling up troops.
The finance ministers of the leading industrial and emerging countries (G20) also apparently want to discuss the Ukraine conflict. However, it is still unclear whether there will ultimately be a joint text with a political signal or just an exchange of views, according to German government circles. The G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors is scheduled for Thursday and Friday in Jakarta.
Earlier this week, the G7 countries – Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, the USA, Japan and Canada – threatened Russia with severe sanctions if it invaded Ukraine. In any case, the financial stability of Ukraine will be ensured. It is unclear whether the larger G20 circle with countries like China will also issue a similarly sharp warning to Russia. Russia itself is also a member of the G20.