Russia and Ukraine called on Sunday to step up diplomatic efforts to prevent war, but they exchanged accusations about the responsibility for the escalation of hostilities on the front line that separates the Ukrainian territory from the areas controlled by the pro-Russian rebels.
After French President Emmanuel Macron had a lengthy telephone conversation with Vladimir Putin and then with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky, both Moscow and Kiev called for further dialogue.
Western countries led by the United States accuse Russia to station more than 150,000 soldiers on the Ukrainian border to launch an attack and Washington routinely reiterates that the invasion could come “at any time.”
The French presidency described this Sunday’s talks as one of “the last possible and necessary efforts to avoid a major conflict in Ukraine.”
These exchanges come amid rising hostilities in eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists who have risen up against Kiev are waging a conflict that has killed more than 14,000 people since 2014.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded that US President Joe Biden is willing to “meet” with Putin, “at any time, in any format if it helps prevent a war.”
During the conversation with Macron, which lasted 1 hour and 45 minutes, Putin on Sunday blamed “provocations” by the Ukrainian government for the escalation in fighting with separatists in the east of that country, the Kremlin reported.
Putin also called for NATO and the United States to “take seriously” Russia’s security demands, such as the withdrawal of its military infrastructure from Eastern Europe and a veto on Ukraine’s entry into the transatlantic alliance.
Finally, the Russian presidency reported that both leaders “agreed that it was convenient to intensify the search for solutions through diplomatic channels.”
The Elysee Palace reported that the two leaders agreed on “the need to give priority to a diplomatic solution to the current crisis and to do everything possible to achieve it.”
An “immediate” ceasefire
After the call with Macron, Zelensky called for an “immediate” ceasefire and called for an urgent meeting of the trilateral contact group that includes Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The OSCE called an emergency meeting for Monday.
These diplomatic contacts come after fears that the conflict could escalate dominated the first part of the day.
Just before the call between Macron and Putin, Belarus announced on Sunday that it will continue joint military exercises with Russia on its territory, near the border with Ukraine.
The stay of Russian troops on Belarusian territory just when they were scheduled to return to their country fueled fears in Western countries that Russia would invade Ukraine and was criticized by the opposition in Minsk.
Moscow had announced that its troops would withdraw from Belarus this Sunday, after a series of military exercises.
artillery in the front
On the front line that separates the Kiev forces from the separatist troops, on Saturday night, AFP correspondents heard artillery explosions.
In Zolote, a border town in the Luhansk region, an AFP journalist found residents seeking shelter in a rudimentary basement.
“These weeks the artillery fire began to fall with more force. Now it continues”, explained Oleksiy Kovalenko, a 33-year-old man who said that they do not have water.
In tune with the tone of the United States and NATO, the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, affirmed for his part that Russia is preparing what could constitute “the greatest war in Europe since 1945”.
He also warned that the invasion would not only attack Ukraine from the east, but also from the north, from Belarus to “surround Kiev,” he said in an interview with the BBC.
Meanwhile, the president of the European Council, the Belgian Charles Michel, indicated on Sunday that Western countries cannot “indefinitely offer an olive branch while Russia carries out missile tests and continues to accumulate troops” on the Ukrainian border.
The insurgents accused Kiev of wanting to attack them and announced a “general mobilization” of all men in a state of combat.
They also ordered an evacuation of civilians to neighboring regions of Russia, a possible prelude to a conflict. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
