Russia does not want a war in Europe, Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin said at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Moscow on Tuesday.
“If we want a war (in Europe)? Of course not,” Putin said, commenting on the current tension on the Russian-Ukrainian border.
He added that precisely for this reason Russia presented proposals for negotiations on European security, the result of which should be an agreement that meets the interests of all parties.
At the same time, the Ministry of Defense confirmed that some of the Russian troops deployed for weeks near the Ukrainian border and whose presence raised fears of a military operation in the neighboring country began to return to their barracks,
“The units of the South and West military districts, which have already completed their tasks, began to load on means of transport” and “will begin to return to their barracks today (Tuesday),” ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov was quoted as saying. by Russian news agencies.
This announcement is the first sign that Moscow is backing down from its crisis with Western countries that has lasted since the end of 2021.
Russia has deployed more than 100,000 troops to the borders with Ukraine since December, raising fears of an imminent invasion of the country.
The country has always denied this hypothesis but it does demand certain guarantees for its security, beginning with the promise that Ukraine will not be admitted to NATO, something that Western countries refuse to grant.
Western countries have threatened Moscow with unprecedented sanctions if it enters Ukrainian territory. The United States and other countries have also deployed military reinforcements in Eastern Europe.
At the moment, Russia is conducting military exercises in Belarus, which will last until February 20.
Meanwhile, Putin also stated that his generation has witnessed an armed conflict in Europe, alluding to the war in Yugoslavia.
“We have witnessed the war in Europe unleashed by the NATO bloc against Yugoslavia. A big military operation with bombing of one of the European capitals, Belgrade”, he stated.
He stressed that the military actions were carried out without the authorization of the UN Security Council and that “was a very bad example.”
Scholz disagreed with the Russian leader by pointing out that there was a threat of genocide in Yugoslavia, to which Putin replied that what is happening now in eastern Ukraine is also genocide.
Asked whether Russia will continue to withdraw troops from the vicinity of Ukraine’s borders, the Kremlin chief said it would depend on the situation.
“How is Russia going to act? According to the plan. And what is this made of? From the actual situation on the ground”, she said, adding: “Who can say how the situation will develop? Nobody, for now. It depends not only on us”.
Putin also commented on the request of the Russian deputies for the recognition of the separatist republics in eastern Ukraine and stated that Moscow will start from the potential of the Minsk agreements for settlement in Donbas.
Kiev warned on Tuesday that Russia’s possible recognition of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk would mean Russia’s exit from the Minsk process.
The German chancellor, in turn, said during the press conference with Putin that this measure would be a “political catastrophe”, he collects. EFE.
Distrust in the UK
However, despite Putin’s statements, British Foreign Minister Liz Truss said on Tuesday she was concerned about the possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, which could be “imminent and highly likely”, and a possible “war in Russia”. Europe”.
In the United Kingdom, they even set a date and time for the massive military incursion: Wednesday, February 16, at 3 AM. the diaries The Sun Y Mirror They have used their main headlines to contradict the announcements made by Russia regarding the alleged de-escalation, Infobae collects.
“I am very worried about the situation. We could be on the verge of a war in Europe, which could have serious consequences, not only for the population of Russia and Ukraine, but for the security of Europe,” the minister told the network. SkyNews.
“There is a huge number of soldiers on the border. We know they are in a position to strike imminently, but he (Putin) can still change his mind and that is why diplomacy is so vital,” he added.
Truss made these statements before British Prime Minister Boris Johnson chairs a meeting of the Cobra emergency committee, made up of the main ministers, on Tuesday to address the possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, which, according to the media, could take place out in the next few hours.
Johnson and US President Joe Biden held a conversation on Monday in which both anticipated a “protracted crisis for Russia” if it invaded Ukrainian territory.
Ukraine also showed mistrust, saying it will believe the withdrawal of some Russian military units from its borders when it sees it with its own eyes.
“There are different statements from the Russian Federation all the time. We have a rule: we don’t believe it when we hear it, but when we see it,” said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba.
“When we see the withdrawal (of the Russian soldiers) then we will believe in a de-escalation,” he added.
US will verify withdrawal
The US echoed this and announced that it will verify whether Russia is really withdrawing troops. The US ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, assured that her country will have to verify it.
“We have noticed today that Russia is claiming that it is carrying out some kind of de-escalation. We are monitoring the situation. I have nothing more to say about that. We will have to verify whether or not this is the case,” the diplomat declared.
For its part, NATO showed “cautious optimism” about Ukraine after Russian announcements of partial troop withdrawal.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia is hinting that it wants to talk, raising “cautious optimism”, but stressed that there are still no concrete signs of de-escalation on the border with Ukraine.
“We will continue to monitor and closely follow everything that Russia is doing,” he said.
Other reactions
- The US urged its citizens to leave Belarus
The United States urged its citizens to leave Belarus immediately, citing a buildup of Russian soldiers on the border with neighboring Ukraine.
The notice, issued on Monday, came on the same day that Washington announced the closure of its embassy in Kiev and the transfer of its staff to the city of Lviv, 335 km away, due to the “dramatic acceleration” of the deployment of Russian forces.
The United States had already asked its nationals to leave Ukraine after Western countries accused Russia of sending more than 100,000 troops to surround the former Soviet republic.
In addition to fears of a possible military conflict on the border, Washington’s warning for Belarus also cites the risk of detention, arbitrary application of laws and restrictions due to the coronavirus as additional reasons to leave that country.
- Israel prepares to move its embassy in Ukraine from Kiev to Lviv
The Israeli Foreign Ministry is preparing for the possible transfer of its embassy in Ukraine from Kiev to Lviv, in the west of the country, where it has sent personnel to carry out the relocation of the Israeli legation.
“I call on the Israelis who are still in Ukraine to leave the country. The window of opportunity to leave is closing,” Foreign Minister Yair Lapid warned today, after a new meeting in the ministry’s situation room to address the situation in Ukraine.
Foreign Affairs assured that personnel from the embassy in Ukraine, headed by Ambassador Michael Brodsky, continue to provide consular services to citizens who need it, but Lapid insisted on the urgency of leaving “in light of the growing indications of a possibility of escalation in the country”.
A team sent from Jerusalem assists the Kiev embassy to expedite the procedures to remove Israeli citizens who are still in Ukraine; while embassy staff traveled today to Lviv, a city near the border with Poland and further from the focus of tension near Russia, to prepare for the transfer.
Following the request of the Israeli Embassy, the country’s leading universities agreed to allow Israeli students to continue their studies remotely, thus allowing them to leave the country. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
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