Washington dramatizes, the Europeans moderate the tone, Paris proposes a meeting
EU foreign ministers met this Monday, January 24 in Brussels, with the agenda for in-depth discussions on the Sahel. But it is above all the situation in Ukraine which monopolized the attention of the Twenty-Seven. They had a remote meeting with their American counterpart Antony Blinken, while President Biden was for his part to discuss with the allies of the United States. Washington increases the pressure on Moscow. Macron proposes a meeting in Paris.
A great unanimity and a great determination to face the situation, this is how the Twenty-Seven summed up their debates on Ukraine on Monday.
These assertions remain of the order of the speech, however explains our correspondent in Brussels, Pierre Benazet. Because even if the Europeans say they have sanctions that could be invoked at any time in the event of Russian aggression, they stubbornly refuse to detail them.
Don’t divulge anything is part of the deterrence “assumes the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell.
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Nothing of a nature to fear Europeans
After the quasi-mobilization announced by NATO, after the fears of Russian aggression aroused by Washington, the EU is in fact seeking to calm people’s minds, to avoid nervous breakdowns and alarmist proposals, in the words of Ms. .Borrel.
The Twenty-Seven spoke in the afternoon with their American counterpart Antony Blinken, and they conclude that it is useless to evacuate non-essential personnel, as the British.
There is nothing new, insists the head of European diplomacy, who stresses that negotiations with Russia have been accelerated by the United States in full coordination with the EU, and who believes that there is no Nothing, for the moment, is likely to reinforce among Europeans the fear of an imminent attack.
We know very well what the threats are, what the degree of the threats are, and we know very well how to react…
Josep Borrell wants to avoid the “nervous breakdown”
Macron will propose a “path of de-escalation” to Putin
This Monday evening, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, made it known that he wished to speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during an interview ” in the next few days and insist on proposing a ” de-escalation path “.
” We are concerned, we are also very careful not to create ambiguity, to recover additional “, insists the French presidency. France, but also Germany, Russia and Ukraine will organize a meeting on Wednesday in Paris on Ukraine at the level of diplomatic advisers, finished in Paris.
For their part, still this Monday evening, the United States are trying to ensure that they have not ” no discrepancy with the Europeans, neither about the unprecedented sanctions to be imposed on Russia in the event of an invasion of Ukraine, nor about the urgency of the threat. ” We know it and, above all, the Russian Federation knows it. »
►Headline: Europeans do not want to “dramatize tensions” around Ukraine
Washington places 8,500 military personnel on alert
But as time goes by, the US administration has come to the fore of the military consequences. She talks about building the capacities of the Eastern countries that are members of NATO. And the White House is studying the sending of several thousand American soldiers to these countries. 8500 soldiers in the United States are put on alert, ready to be deployed in the countries concerned which are Poland and the Baltic countries.
“ It’s very clear, says Pentagon spokesman Ned Price, that the Russians currently have no intention of starting a de-escalation “. No decision” has not been taken on a deployment of forces outside of the United States at this time “, he specifies on the other hand. But the communication of NATO also insists for a few days on the deliveries of material.
First expressed in hundreds of millions of dollars, these deliveries become much more concrete, once we see the images and know a little more about their nature: anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles, which left a very bad memory for the Russian soldiers who had to remember to face it in Afghanistan, our correspondent in Washington, Guillaume Naudin.
In this context, ” the exchange of views with Antony Blinken was very useful in continuing to determine the way forward and very close coordination », sums up Josep Borell.
EU intends to give Kiev more money as soon as possible
France advises its nationals to postpone non-essential travel to Ukraine, although Paris is not evacuating the families of its diplomats as the United States has organized.
As for the European Commission, for the time being, it is proposing to strengthen its financial support for Ukraine with an additional envelope of 1.2 billion euros. This new emergency package will double the aid allocated to Kiev in the form of a grant this year.
However, the timeline remains unclear. Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the Commission, simply specified that a first tranche of 600 million euros would be disbursed ” quickly if the Parliament and the member countries quickly gave the green light.
Ukraine has already significantly increased its defense budget
This money is to help Ukraine meet its conflict-related financial needs. Charges that come as the Ukrainian economy has not escaped the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic – charges that have accumulated in recent years.
Since the start of the conflict with pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country, Ukraine has greatly increased its defense budget. It rose, according to the World Bank, from 1.5% of GDP in 2013 to more than 4% in 2020, recalls Pauline Gléize, from RFI’s economic department.
2014, the European Union has since already paid 17 billion euros to Kyiv in the form of grants and loans. Ukraine also benefits from an IMF aid programme.
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Moscow denounces a “hysteria”
In this whole affair, Moscow denounces a “ hysteria », and accuses the United States and NATO « exacerbate tensions through announcements and concrete actions “.
What Russia is asking for is a written commitment on the non-enlargement of the Atlantic Alliance to Ukraine and Georgia. Moscow would also appreciate a withdrawal of the organization’s forces and armaments from the countries of Eastern Europe that joined the ranks after 1997, notably from Romania and Bulgaria. ” Non-negotiable for Westerners.
Moscow assures that it has no intention of intervening in Ukraine, but on the other hand supports the claims of pro-Russian separatists from the self-proclaimed republics of Lugansk and Donetsk, in the east of the country. Russia has also massed more than 100,000 troops, tanks and artillery borders.
“The United States will now respond in writing”
The Atlantic Alliance, for its part, has a rapid reaction force of 40,000 soldiers, currently under French command. But “ the United States will now respond in writing to Russia’s requests, and we have been consulted on this response “says Josep Borrell.
We are united in our approach to the challenges to European security.
Take concrete steps, move forward on the diplomatic path and step up support for Ukraine.
If diplomacy fails, we are well on our way to responding to possible aggression.#CAFhttps://t.co/u0jLQ9LPWa pic.twitter.com/9GfqZko97c
— Josep Borrell Fontelles (@JosepBorrellF) January 24, 2022
A new meeting would be scheduled between Antony Blinken and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
A videoconference was also to take place on Monday evening between President Biden, President Macron, Chancellor Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Polish President Andrzej Duda, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Council President Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen.
Joe Biden insisted Monday evening, at the end of this unexpected meeting, on the fact that according to him there is a ” total unanimity with European leaders in the Ukrainian crisis. And the American president adds that he spent a “ very, very, very good maintenance “.
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