Chancellor Scholz criticizes the deployment of Russian soldiers in Russia and Belarus near Ukraine: “We cannot understand Russia’s military activities on the Ukrainian border,” said Scholz after the talks with the Ukrainian head of state Zelensky during his visit to Kiev. “If Russia violates Ukraine’s territorial integrity again, we know what to do.” Further aggression will have serious consequences for Russia, which he will also make clear during his visit to Moscow on Tuesday, Scholz continued. He was ready for a serious dialogue with Russia and called on Putin to use these offers of talks to resolve the crisis diplomatically. “Our common goal is to avoid further escalation.”
Scholz pointed out that no country has supported Ukraine more than Germany in recent years. Germany has strengthened the Ukrainian economy with two billion dollars. He promised another 300 million in aid. Ukraine had repeatedly requested arms deliveries from Germany, most recently 12,000 anti-tank missiles. According to Scholz, Germany does not deliver any weapons to crisis areas and once again referred to the great financial support for the country.
“The security of Ukraine is the security of all of Europe,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Germany supports the sovereignty and territorial independence of Ukraine and both countries have common views. However, Zelensky also pointed out differences regarding the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. “We view Nord Stream 2 as an energetic and security threat to our country.” Scholz again did not comment on the controversial gas pipeline.
According to the Ukrainian head of state, NATO membership is a dream of his country in order to have security guarantees against Russia. According to Scholz, Ukraine’s membership in the defense alliance is not currently on the agenda. “The question of membership in alliances is practically non-existent, and it is therefore somewhat idiosyncratic to observe that the Russian government is making something that is practically not on the agenda the subject of major political problems,” said Scholz. Russia is keen to prevent membership.
Ukrainian ambassador demands 12,000 anti-tank missiles from Germany
The Ukrainian ambassador in Berlin has renewed the demand for heavy weapons from Germany just before Chancellor Scholz is expected in Kiev on Monday. On “Bild-TV” Andrij Melnyk demanded the immediate delivery of 12,000 anti-tank missiles in order to be able to fend off a possible Russian ground offensive against Ukraine. “The situation is dramatic,” he said. “What we have to be prepared for today is the worst possible scenario.”
The German government refuses to supply deadly weapons to Ukraine. However, it is considering making armaments available below this threshold. On a February 3 wish list from the Ukrainian embassy are a number of armaments that are clearly not lethal weapons. These include electronic tracking systems, mine clearance equipment, protective suits, digital radios, radar stations and night vision devices. Anti-tank missiles are not on this wish list.
This Monday, Chancellor Olaf Scholz is traveling to Kiev to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. He will be received by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday. (02/14/2022)
Zelensky invites Biden to Kiev
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has invited US President Joe Biden to visit his home country in the near future. Selensky told Biden in a phone call that such a visit could be important for stabilizing the current situation and contribute to de-escalation, his office said. The White House initially did not comment on this. The broadcaster CNN, citing Ukrainian sources, reported that Biden did not take the idea positively. (02/14/2022)
Federal government promises arms aid to Ukraine
The federal government has promised Ukraine further armaments aid – below the threshold of lethal weapons. On the wish list for military equipment submitted by Ukraine there is “one or the other (…) that you can take a closer look at,” according to German government circles on Sunday. That will now be checked. In addition to the political decision, it is also about the actual availability of this material, which is also used by the Bundeswehr itself. No confirmation is to be expected during the Chancellor’s inaugural visit to Kiev on Monday. The federal government has already given a clear rejection of the delivery of lethal weapons to Ukraine. But the no does not apply to other armaments.
The situation is different with further economic aid, which is also being demanded by Ukraine. In government circles it was indicated that there could be concrete commitments at this point on Monday. However, details have not yet been given. Since 2014, Germany has already made almost two billion euros available for Ukraine. (02/13/2022)
Federal government considers situation “extremely dangerous”
Before Chancellor Olaf Scholz traveled to Kiev and Moscow, the federal government assessed the situation in the Ukraine crisis as “extremely dangerous”. The “very worrying overall picture” will significantly shape the talks with Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Vladimir Putin on Monday and Tuesday, government circles said on Sunday. The aim of the two initial visits is to maintain the thread of talks with Russia about de-escalation. One wants to advocate a dialogue about the demands of both sides. “We are not only ready for such talks, we also actively demand them.”
The mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, had previously appealed to Germany and the world to stand closely with Ukraine. “We are prepared for the worst in Ukraine, the world must help us now,” says Klitschko picture on sunday. Putin is striving for world power and after Ukraine it is the turn of the Baltic states. “We’re just the beginning! When Olaf Scholz and other heads of state talk to Vladimir Putin now, they should make one thing clear to him: Our whole country will defend itself against an attack and it will have serious consequences.” (02/13/2022)
Conversation between US President Biden and Russian President Putin
According to the White House, US President Joe Biden continued to promote diplomacy in a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Biden has also reiterated that Russia must expect a quick and decisive response if it invades Ukraine. He stressed that an invasion would “cause great human suffering and damage Russia’s reputation”. According to information from those close to Biden, the phone call did not lead to a significant change in the previous positions. From the US perspective, it is also unclear whether Russia is willing to rely on diplomacy. It could also be that Putin is relying on military action.
After the call, the Kremlin reiterated that the US proposals on security issues would not address Russia’s key concerns. In addition, the West has not exerted enough pressure on Ukraine to comply with the Minsk agreements. The only thing the Kremlin said about a possible Russian invasion was that warnings about it had now reached an absurd level.
In the afternoon, France’s head of state Emmanuel Macron had already called Vladimir Putin. He stressed the concern of European partners and allies in the Ukraine crisis. According to the Élysée Palace, in a phone call lasting about an hour and a half on Saturday, Macron also told Putin that sincere dialogue is not compatible with escalation. The two also spoke about stability and security in Europe, as well as how the implementation of the 2015 Minsk peace plan, which is on hold, can progress. During the conversation there was no indication that Russia was planning an offensive. (02/12/2022)
Federal government: Germans should leave Ukraine in the short term
After warnings from the US government of a possible impending Russian attack, the German government has now asked its citizens to leave Ukraine. The embassy in Kiev will remain open for the time being, according to a statement from the Foreign Office. It said: “If you are currently in Ukraine, check whether your presence is absolutely necessary. If not, leave the country at short notice.” The USA, Great Britain, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, Latvia and Estonia, among others, had previously asked their citizens to leave the country. It was also announced on Saturday afternoon that the United States was withdrawing 160 members of the National Guard who had been deployed to Ukraine for training purposes since November to advise the military there. The Pentagon said their move would not change US determination to support Ukraine’s armed forces.
The Federal Foreign Office warned: “The tensions between Russia and Ukraine have increased in recent days due to the massive presence and movements of Russian military units near the Ukrainian borders. A military conflict cannot be ruled out.” The German consulate general in Donetsk in Dnipro is “temporarily closed with immediate effect”; it is to be transferred to Lviv (Lemberg). In future, this will enable employees to work further away from the so-called line of contact between the Ukrainian government troops and the Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
So far, there has been a travel warning for Ukraine due to the corona pandemic and a partial travel warning for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions controlled by the separatists and the areas along the contact line. (02/12/2022)
Kiev has no information about the imminent invasion
After renewed US warnings of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine in the coming week, Kiev has expressed surprise. “If you or anyone else has additional information about a 100 percent invasion on February 16, please provide us with that information,” President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on Saturday. Kiev is aware that there are risks.
Still, there would be too many reports in the public space of a major war by Russia against Ukraine. Kiev is prepared for everything. But: “The enemy’s best friend is panic in our country,” Zelensky told Western journalists in English. All this information would only create panic and would not help Ukraine.
The day before, heightened warnings from Washington of a possible Russian attack on Ukraine had sparked international unrest. Like numerous other western countries before it, the federal government called on Germans to leave the country on Saturday. For weeks, Western reports have been talking about a Russian troop deployment near the Ukrainian borders. The Kremlin regularly rejects invasion plans and speaks of “war hysteria”. The “propaganda campaign” of the United States and its allies is pursuing “provocative goals,” Moscow said after a phone call between Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his US colleague Antony Blinken on Saturday. Kiev is being “encouraged to sabotage the Minsk agreements and harmful attempts at a military solution to the “Donbass problem,” it said. Ukraine has not yet been mobilized, nor has a state of war been declared. (02/12/2022)