Moscow: Russia Said on Friday that it would not start the war Ukraine But warned that the United States and NATO have ignored its demands and left little room for compromise in the crisis.
President Vladimir Putin French President Emmanuel Macron said the West had failed to consider Russia’s key conditions to halt further NATO expansion, halt the deployment of coalition weapons near Russian borders and withdraw its forces from Eastern Europe, the Kremlin said. Is.
The US and NATO this week formally rejected those demands, though Washington outlined areas where discussions are possible, hoping Ukraine has a way of avoiding war amid the build-up to more than 100,000 Russian troops. could be the way.
Despite this, US President Joe Biden warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr on Thursday zelensky that there is a “specific possibility” that Russia could take military action against the former Soviet state in February. Russia has repeatedly denied having any such plans.
However, Zelensky sought to downplay war fears, saying that Western alarm over an imminent invasion has prompted many investors in the country’s financial markets to cash out.
“We don’t need this panic,” he said at a news conference. “It cost the Ukrainians.”
Putin told Macron that Moscow would study the response of the US and NATO before deciding its next move, according to a Kremlin account of his call. Earlier in the day, Putin held a weekly meeting of his Security Council, saying only that it would address foreign policy issues.
Putin has not made any public comment about the Western response, but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it has little chance of reaching an agreement.
“While they say they will not change their position, we will not change our position,” Lavrov told Russian radio stations in a live interview. “I don’t see any room for compromise here.”
“There will be no war as far as it depends on the Russian Federation, we do not want war,” he said. “But we will not allow our interests to be ruthlessly trampled upon and neglected.”
A senior Biden administration official said the US welcomed Lavrov’s comments that Russia does not go to war, “but it needs to be backed up with action. We need Russia to pull some of the troops that they called Ukrainian.” The officer spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly.
Lavrov said the US suggested that the two sides could discuss limits on the deployment of medium-range missiles, a ban on military exercises and rules to prevent accidents between warships and aircraft. He said Russia had proposed to discuss those issues years ago – but Washington and its allies have never raised it to him until now.
Welcoming Washington’s proposals on confidence-building measures, he argued that they are secondary to Russia’s main concerns over NATO. He said international agreements state that one nation’s security should not come at the expense of the others – and he would send letters to his Western counterparts explaining the failure to honor that pledge.
Referring to a document signed at the 1999 summit, he said, “It will be difficult for them to refrain from answering why they are not fulfilling the obligations sealed by their leaders so that they can protect themselves at the cost of others.” Do not strengthen.” Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
Washington has warned Moscow of devastating sanctions if it invades Ukraine, including punishments targeting top Russian officials and key economic sectors. Asked about possible sanctions, Lavrov said Moscow had warned Washington that their introduction would amount to a complete severance of ties.
While Moscow and the West consider their next move, NATO said it was ramping up its deterrence in the Baltic Sea region, and the US ordered 8,500 troops on high alert for a possible deployment to Europe.
Russia has launched military exercises involving motorized infantry and artillery units in southwestern Russia, warplanes in Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, and dozens of warships in the Black Sea and Arctic. Russian troops have also headed to Belarus for extensive joint exercises, fueling Western fears that Moscow may attack Ukraine from the north. The capital of Ukraine is just 75 kilometers (50 mi) from the border with Belarus.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said there would be no war unless Belarus or Russia were attacked and accused the West of trying to “drown our Slavic brotherhood in blood”.
“The leaders of some countries have gone mad, they think they can win that war,” he said. “But there will be no victory, we will all lose.”
Despite the dangerous rhetoric, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly tried to calm down.
Zelensky said the decision of the US, Britain, Australia, Germany and Canada to withdraw some of their diplomats and dependents from Kiev was a “mistake”.
“Those were redundant steps that didn’t help,” he said.
He argued that internal instability is the biggest risk to the country. He also lamented NATO’s failure to offer Ukraine a roadmap for membership, adding that the coalition should clearly state whether it does not plan to embrace Ukraine and not make vague promises. .
“You openly say that you will never accept us. Why talk about the future?” They said.
Zelensky challenged US warnings of an imminent Russian attack, saying “we are seeing no more escalation than ever”, and alleged that the concentration of Russian troops could be part of Moscow’s efforts to sow “psychological pressure” and panic. .
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksey Reznikov told parliament that the number of Russian troops with Ukraine – about 130,000 – is on par with Moscow’s military build-up last spring, when Moscow finally pulled back its forces after massive exercises.
With the exception of deployments in Belarus, “we have not observed any incidents or actions of a military character that differ significantly from what was going on last spring”, Reznikov said.
Ukraine is already beset with conflict. Following the 2014 expulsion of the Kremlin-friendly president in Kiev, Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and supported an insurgency in the country’s eastern industrial zone. Fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels has killed more than 14,000 people, and stalled efforts to strike a deal.
During Friday’s call with Macron, Putin spoke in favor of continuing talks between Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany about the stalled peace deal for eastern Ukraine. Presidential envoys from the four countries met in Paris on Wednesday and agreed to another meeting in Berlin in two weeks.
A French official described the talks between Putin and Macron as serious and honorable and said tensions needed to be de-escalated. According to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the conversation, the Russian leader made no concessions.
President Vladimir Putin French President Emmanuel Macron said the West had failed to consider Russia’s key conditions to halt further NATO expansion, halt the deployment of coalition weapons near Russian borders and withdraw its forces from Eastern Europe, the Kremlin said. Is.
The US and NATO this week formally rejected those demands, though Washington outlined areas where discussions are possible, hoping Ukraine has a way of avoiding war amid the build-up to more than 100,000 Russian troops. could be the way.
Despite this, US President Joe Biden warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr on Thursday zelensky that there is a “specific possibility” that Russia could take military action against the former Soviet state in February. Russia has repeatedly denied having any such plans.
However, Zelensky sought to downplay war fears, saying that Western alarm over an imminent invasion has prompted many investors in the country’s financial markets to cash out.
“We don’t need this panic,” he said at a news conference. “It cost the Ukrainians.”
Putin told Macron that Moscow would study the response of the US and NATO before deciding its next move, according to a Kremlin account of his call. Earlier in the day, Putin held a weekly meeting of his Security Council, saying only that it would address foreign policy issues.
Putin has not made any public comment about the Western response, but Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it has little chance of reaching an agreement.
“While they say they will not change their position, we will not change our position,” Lavrov told Russian radio stations in a live interview. “I don’t see any room for compromise here.”
“There will be no war as far as it depends on the Russian Federation, we do not want war,” he said. “But we will not allow our interests to be ruthlessly trampled upon and neglected.”
A senior Biden administration official said the US welcomed Lavrov’s comments that Russia does not go to war, “but it needs to be backed up with action. We need Russia to pull some of the troops that they called Ukrainian.” The officer spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly.
Lavrov said the US suggested that the two sides could discuss limits on the deployment of medium-range missiles, a ban on military exercises and rules to prevent accidents between warships and aircraft. He said Russia had proposed to discuss those issues years ago – but Washington and its allies have never raised it to him until now.
Welcoming Washington’s proposals on confidence-building measures, he argued that they are secondary to Russia’s main concerns over NATO. He said international agreements state that one nation’s security should not come at the expense of the others – and he would send letters to his Western counterparts explaining the failure to honor that pledge.
Referring to a document signed at the 1999 summit, he said, “It will be difficult for them to refrain from answering why they are not fulfilling the obligations sealed by their leaders so that they can protect themselves at the cost of others.” Do not strengthen.” Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.
Washington has warned Moscow of devastating sanctions if it invades Ukraine, including punishments targeting top Russian officials and key economic sectors. Asked about possible sanctions, Lavrov said Moscow had warned Washington that their introduction would amount to a complete severance of ties.
While Moscow and the West consider their next move, NATO said it was ramping up its deterrence in the Baltic Sea region, and the US ordered 8,500 troops on high alert for a possible deployment to Europe.
Russia has launched military exercises involving motorized infantry and artillery units in southwestern Russia, warplanes in Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, and dozens of warships in the Black Sea and Arctic. Russian troops have also headed to Belarus for extensive joint exercises, fueling Western fears that Moscow may attack Ukraine from the north. The capital of Ukraine is just 75 kilometers (50 mi) from the border with Belarus.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said there would be no war unless Belarus or Russia were attacked and accused the West of trying to “drown our Slavic brotherhood in blood”.
“The leaders of some countries have gone mad, they think they can win that war,” he said. “But there will be no victory, we will all lose.”
Despite the dangerous rhetoric, Ukrainian officials have repeatedly tried to calm down.
Zelensky said the decision of the US, Britain, Australia, Germany and Canada to withdraw some of their diplomats and dependents from Kiev was a “mistake”.
“Those were redundant steps that didn’t help,” he said.
He argued that internal instability is the biggest risk to the country. He also lamented NATO’s failure to offer Ukraine a roadmap for membership, adding that the coalition should clearly state whether it does not plan to embrace Ukraine and not make vague promises. .
“You openly say that you will never accept us. Why talk about the future?” They said.
Zelensky challenged US warnings of an imminent Russian attack, saying “we are seeing no more escalation than ever”, and alleged that the concentration of Russian troops could be part of Moscow’s efforts to sow “psychological pressure” and panic. .
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksey Reznikov told parliament that the number of Russian troops with Ukraine – about 130,000 – is on par with Moscow’s military build-up last spring, when Moscow finally pulled back its forces after massive exercises.
With the exception of deployments in Belarus, “we have not observed any incidents or actions of a military character that differ significantly from what was going on last spring”, Reznikov said.
Ukraine is already beset with conflict. Following the 2014 expulsion of the Kremlin-friendly president in Kiev, Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula and supported an insurgency in the country’s eastern industrial zone. Fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russian-backed rebels has killed more than 14,000 people, and stalled efforts to strike a deal.
During Friday’s call with Macron, Putin spoke in favor of continuing talks between Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany about the stalled peace deal for eastern Ukraine. Presidential envoys from the four countries met in Paris on Wednesday and agreed to another meeting in Berlin in two weeks.
A French official described the talks between Putin and Macron as serious and honorable and said tensions needed to be de-escalated. According to the official who spoke on condition of anonymity to describe the conversation, the Russian leader made no concessions.
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