The planet is watching with bated breath the diplomatic marathon of Emanuel Macron that aims to prevent a hot episode in the region with unpredictable consequences. Putin and Macron spoke on Tuesday of signs of convergence, which are the basis for further consultations with the Russian president, but insisted on red lines of Moscow for non-expansion of NATO in Ukraine.
Chancellor Olaf Solz, French President and Polish Prime Minister Andrei Duda later issued a joint message to Vladimir Putin calling for a solution, as well as warnings to Vladimir Putin.
Allegations against the West that it incites tension in Ukraine by arming Kiev, however, were unleashed by Moscow. According to Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peshkov, the tensions, which are “increasing day by day”, are further fueled by Western arms deliveries.
“We are seeing Western countries sending troops to Ukraine, sending planes loaded with weapons, sending military equipment, Ukraine is conducting military maneuvers these days, testing new equipment it is receiving,” the Kremlin spokesman said.
Shortly after the Russian president’s meeting with his French counterpart, the Kremlin assures that it will not establish a permanent military base in Belarus, denies, however, that Vladimir Putin has vowed not to take any new military initiatives on the border with Ukraine, a French official has said.
From Moscow and the fourth with Putin, Emanuel Macron’s diplomatic marathon continues in Kiev, where he meets with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Shortly afterwards, the French president flew to Berlin to hold talks with the German chancellor and the Polish president.
Olaf Solz has just returned from Washington where he and Joe Biden tried to build a common front against the possibility of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, the American media comment that the German chancellor avoided referring directly to the operation of Nord Stream 2, as a means of pressure, in contrast to the American president.
The anxious battle of diplomacy though does not slow down war preparations.
Ukrainian soldiers conduct war exercises in the ghost town of Chernobyl while Russian warships cross the Dardanelles and head for the Black Sea to take part in a major naval exercise. Military exercises continue near the border with Ukraine.
The build-up in the area, however, continues with Germany sending 350 troops to Lithuania and Britain as many to Poland. NATO seems to be considering a long-term military deployment in Eastern Europe, setting the stage for a second Cold War.
Poland is preparing for mass influx of refugees if Russia attacks Ukraine. “We have to be prepared for the worst case scenario, and [Îχουμε] “Take steps to prepare for a wave of up to one million people,” Deputy Interior Minister Maciej WÄ…sik told POLITICO.
Donald Trump, meanwhile, described Germany as a “hostage of Russia” in a statement on Fox Business. The former US president was referring to Nord Stream 2, the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which has strained relations between Berlin and Washington amid the Ukraine crisis.
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