Ukraine conflict: Moscow insists on security guarantees

Tensions between Russia and the West have not eased even after French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin on the phone. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated on Sunday calls for binding security guarantees. He added that for President Putin it would be “an important question in determining our future resolutions”. Russia is seeking guarantees against Ukraine joining NATO and has massed more than 100,000 soldiers along the border. There is a possibility of Russian aggression on the neighboring country. Macron spoke with both Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned, “If President Putin chooses the path of bloodshed and destruction, it will be a tragedy for Europe. Ukraine should be free to choose its future.” He ordered the army to prepare to provide land, sea and air support to NATO allies in Europe. Johnson is considering doubling the number of British troops in eastern NATO countries and delivering weapons to Estonia. There are currently over 900 British troops stationed in Estonia, over 100 in Ukraine and 150 in Poland. At the same time, according to sources in London, Johnson is planning a phone call with Putin.

Germany and France also want to step up their diplomatic efforts. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced that he would visit Ukraine with his German counterpart Annalena Berbock on February 7-8. Ukraine is likely to be at the center of the crisis in the inaugural visit of Washington Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on February 7. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Zelensky is trying to combat potential panic in his country. From Ukraine’s point of view, there is no more growth than a year ago, he emphasized.

Meanwhile, according to both sides, Democrats and Republicans in the US Senate are about to reach an agreement on sanctions against Russia. There is a strong bipartisan determination to support Ukraine and punish Russia in the event of aggression or for past actions, Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Menendez, a Democrat, told CNN.

Former Chancellor Schröder accused Ukraine of a “saber rattle”.

The statements of former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder (SPD) sparked outrage in Germany. Schröder accused Ukraine of “saber rattles” due to the demand for arms supplies from Germany. The CDU’s foreign politician Johann Wadeful said the “striking silence of the chancellor” with the former chancellor’s statements “contributed to damage to the reputation of our foreign policy”. Sudeutsche Zeitung,

Party leader Lars Klingbeil reiterated the SPD’s call for arms supplies to Ukraine. “Especially in the current situation, this would mean that we would open a door that we would no longer be able to close,” he told ZDF. Former Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel (SPD) sunday photo Called for a “discussion without taboos and restrictions on ideas” on the issue of arms distribution. At the invitation of Klingbeil, prominent SPD politicians are to discuss the course of Russia’s policy this Monday.