Ukraine: confirmed meeting between Russian and British Defense Ministers
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has agreed to meet his British counterpart Ben Wallace in Moscow.
Here, during a press conference in Rome, February 18, 2020. © AP - Andrew Medichini
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
While pressure remains high on the Russian-Ukrainian border, diplomatic initiatives continue.
The day after the meeting in Geneva between the heads of Russian and American diplomacy, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu agreed on Saturday January 22 to meet his British counterpart, Ben Wallace, in Moscow.
Details of the meeting have not yet been released.
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The last bilateral meeting at this level dates back to 2013. Relations between Moscow and London have deteriorated sharply since the polonium assassination of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko in 2006, and the
attempted Novichok poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter
, 12 years later.
But faced with the
fear of a Russian invasion in Ukraine
, it was urgent to resume language.
On the British side, there is a desire to explore "
all avenues to achieve stability and a resolution of the Ukrainian crisis
".
In his written response to the invitation of his British counterpart, Sergei Shoigu stresses that a “
resumption of contacts in a spirit of goodwill between Russia and the United Kingdom will contribute to reducing tensions in Europe
”.
Recently, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that any Russian offensive against Ukraine would be disastrous, not only for Russia, but also for the whole world.
The United Kingdom will supply "
light defensive and anti-tank weapons systems
" to Ukraine, weapons that are not "
strategic
" and "
pose no threat to Russia
", according to the British Defense Secretary.
In front of the House of Commons, Ben Wallace declared that a small number of personnel of the British forces would go to Ukraine to give training to the Ukrainian soldiers there.
No question, on the other hand, of lulling Ukraine into “
false hope
”: London, he warned, will not send troops to Ukraine.
► Also to listen:
Russian-American negotiations on Ukraine: "We are in a three-part process..."
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Diplomacy
Ukraine
Russia
UK
Defense