The defense alliance remains skeptical as to whether Russia really withdraws from the border area with Ukraine.
(Photo: dpa)
Moscow, Brussels The hope that arose on Tuesday that the conflict with Russia would ease is clouding over again: NATO has so far seen no signs that Russian troops are withdrawing from the border area with Ukraine. “We have heard the signals from Moscow that they are ready to continue diplomatic efforts,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a meeting of defense ministers in Brussels. “So far, however, we have not been able to identify any de-escalation. On the contrary, it seems that Russia is continuing its military build-up.”
Moscow had previously announced that it would withdraw some of its troops. The Russian government released videos of tanks and other military vehicles allegedly being withdrawn from the Crimean peninsula. However, western reconnaissance satellites do not seem to have confirmed that the troop transfers are major. “The Russian troop deployment continues to give cause for concern,” said Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) on her arrival in Brussels. It is therefore important to continue to rely on “both dialogue and deterrence”.
Statements from the Kremlin increase NATO’s concern. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday highlighted the risk of an attack by Ukrainian forces on the breakaway, Russian-backed Donbass republics in the east of the country. In his talks with foreign partners, President Vladimir Putin has always pointed out the dangerously high concentration of Ukrainian troops near the front line, stressed Peskov. This danger has not diminished.
After a meeting with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on Tuesday, Putin spoke of a “genocide” taking place in eastern Ukraine. The NATO partners fear that the Russian leadership could try to justify an invasion in this way.
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Karen Donfried, undersecretary for Europe at the US State Department, said in a press conference on Wednesday that “these types of statements” are checked very closely. “Our concern is that Russia is constructing a pretext in the Donbass and using it to invade Ukraine.” However, it is still unclear whether Putin has decided to attack.
Also read: Lessons from Moscow: How the Ukraine conflict will shape European foreign, defense and energy policy
The United States had warned last week that a Russian attack on Ukraine could be imminent – and named this Wednesday as a possible date. President Joe Biden emphasized on Tuesday evening that it was too early to give the all-clear and that an attack was “clearly possible”.
Ukraine is not a member of NATO, but is oriented towards the west and has the military support of the Europeans and the Americans. However, Biden has expressly ruled out the possibility of the United States defending Ukraine with its own soldiers. A conflict with nuclear power Russia could quickly spiral out of control.
Ukraine experiences one of the biggest cyber attacks – the country starts its own military maneuvers
A tense calm reigns in Ukraine. A number of European countries have followed the US example and evacuated their embassies in Kiev. The federal government has called on German citizens to leave Ukraine. The Ukrainian government, on the other hand, is warning of panic. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj had recently demanded “evidence” from his western partners and proclaimed a “Day of Unity” for this Wednesday.
Therefore, the Ukrainian flag was hoisted over public buildings. Zelensky called on his compatriots to demonstrate unity. As different as Ukrainians are, they all share the desire to live happily and peacefully in their homeland. “No one will love our common home like we do – and no one will defend this home but all of us together,” he said in a brief address.
The basic conflict with Russia remains unresolved.
(Photo: AP)
The eastern Ukrainian oligarch Rinat Akhmetov also spoke up: “A happy Donetsk, a happy Donbass can only exist in a united Ukraine,” he said during a visit to his steelworks in Mariupol, a few kilometers from the front line to the separatist areas.
There is still a long way to go to relaxation. The Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior reported on Wednesday about one of the largest cyber attacks on state institutions and banks to date. At the same time, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense launched the “Snowstorm 2022” military maneuvers, apparently to demonstrate its own combat readiness.
More: Putin after meeting with Scholz: “We don’t want a war.”