Ukraine crisis: telephone diplomacy in full swing | tagesschau.de

Biden and Putin, Macron and Putin, Macron and Scholz – after the US warnings of a Russian attack on Ukraine, there were a lot of calls at the highest level. Germany also called on its citizens to leave Ukraine.

In the past few days, the United States has urgently warned its allies that the Russian army is prepared and could attack Ukraine at any time. As a result, diplomatic efforts to ease the situation increased again. In the evening, US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone. The conversation lasted an hour, the White House said.

Accordingly, Biden asked Putin to withdraw more than 100,000 soldiers from the border with Ukraine. If invaded, the US and its allies would respond decisively, at great cost to Russia. Biden warned of “great human suffering” as a result, “Russia’s reputation” would be “diminished”. “We will continue to rely on diplomacy to resolve the conflict, but we are equally prepared for other scenarios,” said the US President.

According to the dpa news agency, a high-ranking employee of the US government emphasized that the dynamic that had developed in the past few weeks had not fundamentally changed as a result of the conversation.

The US side had put ideas on the table with a view to security in Europe, which would also address some of Russia’s concerns. The two presidents have agreed that their teams should keep in touch in the coming days, the US administration official said. As before, however, it cannot be ruled out that Russia could decide to take military action.

In an interview with Macron, Putin denies allegations

French President Emmanuel Macron had previously spoken to Putin on the phone. According to information from the Élysée Palace, he described the concern of European partners and allies about the latest developments. The two also spoke about stability and security in Europe and how the Minsk Agreement to pacify eastern Ukraine could be implemented.

Macron has said that serious negotiations are incompatible with escalating tensions over Ukraine. Both heads of state had again expressed “the will to continue the dialogue”. Macron had already spent several hours negotiating with Putin in Moscow earlier this week.

According to the Kremlin, during the call Putin dismissed reports of an imminent Russian attack on Ukraine as “provocative speculation”. He accused Kiev’s western allies of supplying “modern weapons” to Ukraine. It would create “conditions for possible aggressive actions by Ukrainian security forces” in eastern Ukraine.

Macron then spoke to Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a spokesman confirmed. Before Scholz’s trips, the situation was briefly discussed, the spokesman said, without giving details. Scholz is expected in Ukraine on Monday and in Russia on Tuesday.

Germans asked to leave the country

Meanwhile, the federal government has also asked its citizens to leave Ukraine. “If you are currently in Ukraine, check whether your presence is absolutely necessary. If not, leave the country at short notice,” says a statement from the Federal Foreign Office.

The ministry 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.”

Embassy staff will be reduced

The German embassy in Ukraine will not close for the time being, but some of the employees are expected to leave the country. “We will keep our embassy in Kiev open,” said Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during her visit to Egypt. However, the number of employees will be reduced.

This also applies to German institutions such as KfW, the Society for International Cooperation (GIZ) and German teachers. The family members of the embassy staff should also leave the country.

Germany is continuing to work with its partners with all its might to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict, emphasized the Greens politician. That is why Chancellor Olaf Scholz will also travel to Moscow this week. The message is: “We are ready for dialogue.” At the same time, you have to be prepared for all possible scenarios.

Several other countries – including the USA, Great Britain and Denmark – had previously asked their citizens to leave the country. Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic have also announced this.

US submarine incident

An incident in the far east of Russia caused unrest. According to information from Moscow, a warship in Russian waters near the Kuril Islands tracked down a US submarine. Requests to heave to were ignored, so the Russian destroyer “took appropriate measures,” it said without further explanation. The submarine then left the waters “at top speed”. The Defense Ministry in Moscow then summoned the US military attaché.

Warning of possible attack

Biden’s security advisor Jake Sullivan recently made it clear that the United States considers a Russian invasion of Ukraine possible before the end of the Winter Olympics in China on February 20. “We are in a window where an invasion could begin at any time should Vladimir Putin decide to order it,” he said. He added: “We continue to see signs of Russian escalation, including new troops arriving at the Ukrainian border.” However, Sullivan also emphasized that the US government had no information that Putin had already made a final decision to invade.