At the same time, Belarus and Russia have started military maneuvers – they are still exercises. The approach met with sharp criticism.
(Photo: dpa)
Berlin/Kiev/Moscow Amid heavy tensions in the Ukraine conflict, Russia and Belarus began joint military maneuvers on Thursday. The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced that the exercise should train “defense against external aggression”. In the West it is feared that Russia could invade the US during the maneuvers Ukraine prepared. The Ukrainian military also launched ten-day maneuvers in response. Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss accused Moscow of “Cold War rhetoric” and called for serious negotiations.
“Peace and stability” in Europe are at risk, Truss warned at a press conference in Moscow with her colleague Sergey Lavrov. “There is still time for Russia to end its aggression against Ukraine and to embark on the path of diplomacy.” Lavrov was visibly annoyed by his colleague’s behavior. For example, he criticized British demands that Russia should withdraw troops from its own territory on the border with Ukraine.
The British Foreign Secretary lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
(Photo: imago images/SNA)
Lavrov also accused the West of wanting to “cheat” Russia, because one country’s security cannot be guaranteed at the expense of another. Moscow is demanding binding assurances about an end to NATO’s eastward expansion. The Western military alliance, of which Great Britain is a member, on the other hand, relies on the free choice of alliances by states.
Shortly before the meeting of the two foreign ministers, the ten-day, large-scale maneuvers began in neighboring Belarus. According to both sides, they are held in the south of the ex-Soviet republic not far from Ukraine and in the west on the EU’s external border. Moscow released a video showing tanks with fir branches for camouflage. You could see and hear the shooting.
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In the past few weeks, Russia had moved heavy military equipment to Belarus, including S-400 air defense systems. In addition, according to information from Moscow, Sukhoi Su-25SM fighter jets were brought over 7,000 kilometers from eastern Russia on the Pacific to the Brest area near the Polish border.
Russia and Belarus have launched joint military exercises
The military leaders in Belarus and Russia have repeatedly emphasized that the troop deployments in the course of the maneuver are purely for training purposes, do not pose a threat to anyone and are in accordance with international law. According to the Kremlin, the Russian soldiers should return to their locations after the end of the exercise.
fear of an invasion
With tens of thousands of Russian soldiers deployed near Ukraine, there are fears that the Kremlin is planning an invasion. Moscow denies that. It is also considered possible that the Russian side wants to stir up fears in order to persuade NATO to make concessions on demands for new security guarantees.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described the “extremely massive” maneuvers in the middle of the Ukraine crisis on the France Inter broadcaster as a “gesture of great violence” that the French government is concerned about. “Every country, of course, has the right to organize military maneuvers, but here there is a very significant accumulation of exercises on the border with Ukraine,” said the minister.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also found clear words. “This is a dangerous moment for European security,” he said at a press conference with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Brussels.
Like Russia, Ukraine is holding military exercises on Thursday.
(Photo: AP)
At the same time, Stoltenberg urged Russia to hold further talks in the NATO-Russia Council. He sent a letter to Lavrov confirming the invitation to continue the dialogue. It is about moving forward on the diplomatic path.
Parallel to the maneuvers in Belarus, Russia had warships practice in the Black Sea. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kiev protested against the closure of large sea areas around the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia. Navigation in the Azov and Black Seas would be made virtually impossible. According to media reports, the closures will apply, among other things, directly to the Kerch Strait from February 13th to 19th. The Kremlin rejected allegations that there was a restriction on merchant ships.
Volunteer organizations are growing in Ukraine.
(Photo: Getty Images)
In the Mediterranean, meanwhile, the French Navy is holding an exercise with the aircraft carrier “Charles de Gaulle” and other units until April. According to information from Paris, the aim is to fight against structures of the terrorist militia Islamic State (IS) in the Middle East.
In Berlin, the mediation efforts should be continued in the afternoon. The political advisors of Russia and Ukraine wanted to sit down again for the second time within a short period of time, mediated by Germany and France.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz also wanted to receive Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas and Latvian Prime Minister Krisjanis Karins in the evening. Before the meeting, Kallas spoke out in favor of supplying Ukraine with weapons to defend against Russia. Berlin has repeatedly rejected arms deliveries to Kiev.
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