Stacked crates of US-made Stinger surface-to-air missiles (foreground), in front of Ukrainian soldiers loading equipment onto a truck, at Kiev airport on February 13, 2022 (AFP / Sergei SUPINSKY)
The United States repeated on Sunday that Ukraine could be invaded “at any time” by Russia after the failure of the last diplomatic efforts, a “critical” situation that German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will try to defuse Monday in Kiev and Tuesday in Moscow.
In a telephone conversation on Sunday evening, US President Joe Biden and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to continue “diplomacy” and “deterrence” against Moscow.
Mr. Zelensky also invited Mr. Biden to come to Kyiv. “I am convinced that your visit to Kiev in the coming days (…) would be a strong signal and would help stabilize the situation,” said the Ukrainian president, according to a press release from his services, to the American president.
Washington, for its part, made no reference to this invitation in its report of the conversation, during which Joe Biden again promised a “swift and resolute” response from the United States, in coordination with their allies, in the event Russian attack.
Often accused of being too complacent towards Russia, worried Germany raised its voice on Sunday.
“We are in the middle of a risk of military conflict, of war in Eastern Europe and it is Russia that bears the responsibility,” said German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his part warned that Western sanctions would be “immediate” in the event of a Russian invasion.
Tensions are at their height with 130,000 Russian soldiers massed on the Ukrainian border who are carrying out all-out maneuvers.
– “Very dangerous” situation –
Washington reiterated on Sunday that the Russians could attack “at any time”, the day after a call between Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin which did not give them “reason for optimism”.
The situation has reached a “critical” point, said a German government source. “Our concern has grown (…) We believe that the situation is critical, very dangerous”.
Ukrainian servicemen carry US FIM-92 Stinger short-range surface-to-air missile launchers on the tarmac at Boryspil airport near Kiev on February 13, 2022 (AFP / Sergei SUPINSKY)
It remains to be seen whether the finding will push Germany to review its reluctance regarding arms deliveries to Ukraine, which it is blocking within the framework of NATO, and the future of Nord Stream 2, the controversial gas pipeline built to transport Russian gas on its territory bypassing Ukraine.
The German chancellor assured US senators last week that the pipeline “would not go ahead” if Russia invaded Ukraine.
– ‘Don’t give a damn about sanctions’ –
Despite this unreassuring context, the Ukrainian government promised on Sunday that the skies above Ukraine would remain open.
On Saturday, the Dutch company KLM suspended its flights in Ukrainian airspace until further notice. KLM had already stopped flying over eastern Ukraine since the crash of MH17 which linked Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, shot down in this region on July 17, 2014, killing 283 passengers and 15 crew members. Moscow has always denied any involvement.
At Boryspil airport in Kiev, Moroccan entrepreneur Aimrane Bouziane, 23, was relieved on Sunday that his flight was maintained.
Unity demonstration in Kiev on February 12, 2022 in the face of the risk of war (AFP / Sergei SUPINSKY)
“The wisest choice is to leave Ukraine now,” he said. “Yes, I am leaving because of the situation, because I am afraid for (m) my life (…) Putin could invade. He has already done it, so he can do it again”.
British Defense Minister Ben Wallace said there was a “scent of Munich in the air” in this crisis, referring to the 1938 agreement with Nazi Germany which could not prevent the Second World War.
Moscow “doesn’t give a damn” about the risk of Western sanctions, the Russian ambassador to Sweden, Viktor Tatarintsev, had bluntly warned a few hours earlier in an interview with the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.
Map locating the military bases and airfields involved in the joint military exercises of Russia and Belarus conducted from February 10 to 20 (AFP / )
Russia also said it was “worried” about the “relocation” of personnel from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) who were previously in Ukraine.
“Some participating States have decided that their respective secondments to the Special Monitoring Mission should leave Ukraine in the coming days”, but the Mission “will continue to implement its mandate (…) with its observers deployed in 10 cities across Ukraine,” the OSCE said in a statement.
The “Rostov-on-Don”, a Russian Kilo-class diesel-electric submarine, crosses the Bosphorus strait, in Istanbul on February 13, 2022 ( AFP / Ozan KOSE )
The OSCE, which brings together some sixty countries, including the United States, Russia and the main countries of Western Europe, is a forum responsible for promoting dialogue and cooperation on security issues.
Moscow has accused the organization’s Ukrainian mission of being “deliberately drawn into the militaristic psychosis fomented by Washington and used as a tool for possible provocation” via personnel withdrawals.
For its part, Canada has decided to “temporarily relocate” elsewhere in Europe part of its 200 soldiers stationed in Ukraine, to “refocus its efforts while ensuring the safety of members of the Canadian armed forces”.