Dusseldorf There was no sign of the cautious signs of relaxation that Olaf Scholz had brought back from Moscow at the beginning of the week: “A new war is looming in Europe. The risk is anything but averted,” said the Federal Chancellor at the Munich Security Conference (MSC). There can only be peace in Europe if all countries accept the existing borders, Scholz said to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
All diplomatic doors for a peaceful solution would be kept open, the Chancellor promised. “We want as much diplomacy as possible,” he said, pinning his hopes on the Minsk Agreement, which envisages peaceful coexistence between Russia and Ukraine with the help of autonomy rights for the breakaway provinces in eastern Ukraine’s Donbass.
“Quick successes are not to be expected,” emphasized Scholz. He reaffirmed Ukraine’s non-negotiable right to freely choose alliances, but also made it clear that this issue would not be on the agenda in the foreseeable future. The Chancellor assured the Eastern European NATO members that Germany fully stands by its obligation to form an alliance in accordance with Article 5 of the NATO treaty.
It was the first speech that SPD politicians gave as Federal Chancellor at the security conference and he took the opportunity to present his ideas for a new security architecture in Europe. Security today means more than military security. The risks of climate change, pandemics and cyber attacks must also be given greater consideration. Germany too must make its contribution to solving these problems. But that shouldn’t lead to a “global NATO,” said Scholz
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With a view to the growing claims to power not only by Russia but also by China, the Chancellor emphasized: “No country should be the backyard of another country.” Europe must join forces if it wants to preserve its own sovereignty and “remain a power among powers “. The negotiations on Iran’s nuclear disarmament, which are being promoted primarily by the EU, are an example of European power to shape the future. “Now the moment of truth has come,” said Scholz, “the Iranian leadership has a choice.” Renewed attempts by Tehran to push the nuclear program again are “unacceptable”.
Stoltenberg and von der Leyen warn Putin
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen had previously addressed urgent words to President Putin’s Russian government. “Moscow is trying to turn back history and expand its sphere of influence,” Stoltenberg said at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. He was “extremely concerned”.
Russia’s demands are deliberately unfulfillable, he warns.
(Photo: dpa)
What is dangerous is the combination of the largest deployment of troops since the Second World War with Moscow’s unfulfillable demands on NATO. The Russian government is demanding, among other things, an end to NATO’s eastward expansion and a NATO troop withdrawal from Eastern Europe. Stoltenberg declared these demands untenable.
On Friday evening, US President Joe Biden warned of an invasion in the coming week, which he also sees as a threat to the Ukrainian capital Kiev. He is convinced that Putin made the decision to invade. “We believe they will attack the Ukrainian capital of Kiev, a city of 2.8 million innocent residents.” The US intelligence services had originally expected an invasion for last Wednesday.
Stoltenberg emphasized on Saturday that there were still no signs of retreat or de-escalation. “On the contrary,” warned the NATO Secretary General. According to NATO, there are now more than 160,000 soldiers around Ukraine. A maneuver by the nuclear forces has been announced for Saturday, which Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to oversee.
EU prepares for energy and refugee problems
EU Commission chief von der Leyen said that the EU states are preparing for possible consequences such as refugee flows and energy problems in the course of an escalating conflict with Russia. The gas supply in Europe is secured this winter, even if Russia no longer supplies gas. Japan and South Korea had also promised help in the case. The Russian state-owned company Gazprom has been intentionally supplying as little gas as possible for months. Europe must diversify its energy suppliers and sources more in the future.
“A Russian invasion would completely change the international order”
(Photo: Getty Images)
In the current crisis, more than Ukraine’s future is at stake. “A Russian invasion would completely change the international order,” von der Leyen said. “We cannot allow that.” The President of the Commission again threatened extensive sanctions such as export bans to Russia. Putin is jeopardizing “a prosperous future for Russia”.
The US and NATO fear that Russia will use targeted provocations or false information to create pretexts to justify a military attack. Stoltenberg said NATO’s best response was to disclose Russia’s plans to create such a pretext. The hope is that this will make it more difficult for Moscow to push through its plans.
Donetsk separatist leaders launch military mobilization
Meanwhile, the situation in eastern Ukraine, occupied by pro-Russian separatists, is deteriorating. Heavy fighting broke out again there. The separatist leaders have called for the evacuation of women, children and the elderly to Russia.
The head of the unrecognized pro-Russian government in the Donetsk region, Denis Puschilin, published a statement on Saturday announcing the military mobilization and urging reservists to report to the drafting offices. The number of violations of the current ceasefire agreement in the occupied territories has increased dramatically.
Jens Stoltenberg warned: “If Russia wants less NATO on its borders, it will get more NATO. If it wants to split NATO, it will get a more united NATO.” He also emphasized the role of the USA in the “conflict created by the Kremlin”. There is no real security in Europe without a strong alliance with the US.
More: The news blog with all current events in the Ukraine crisis