German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is expected Monday, February 14 in Kiev to continue diplomatic efforts to defuse the "critical" threat of Russian invasion of Ukraine, likely to trigger the worst crisis in Europe since the Cold War.
Olaf Scholz will then travel to Moscow on Tuesday, following in the footsteps of French President Emmanuel Macron last week, as the United States reiterates that Russia could invade Ukraine "at any time" and Westerners evacuate their embassies.
Often accused of being too complacent towards Russia, Germany raised its voice on Sunday.
"We are in the midst of a risk of military conflict, of war in Eastern Europe, and it is Russia that bears the responsibility," German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.
Olaf Scholz for his part warned that Western sanctions would be "immediate" in the event of a Russian invasion.
"Fuck it" about sanctions
Moscow "doesn't give a damn" about the sanctions, the Russian ambassador to Sweden, Viktor Tatarintsev, had bluntly warned a few hours earlier in an interview with the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.
The situation has reached a "critical" point, said a German government source.
"Our concern has grown (...) We believe that the situation is critical, very dangerous".
Tensions are at their height, with 130,000 Russian soldiers massed on the Ukrainian border carrying out all-out maneuvers.
It remains to be seen whether this escalation will push Germany to reconsider its reluctance about arms deliveries to Ukraine and about the future of Nord Stream 2, the controversial gas pipeline built to bring Russian gas to its territory bypassing Ukraine. .
The German chancellor assured last week that the gas pipeline "would not go ahead" in the event of an invasion.
Boris Johnson in Northern Europe
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to visit the Baltic and northern European countries this week to continue his diplomatic efforts.
“There is still a window of opportunity for de-escalation and diplomacy, and the prime minister will continue to work tirelessly alongside our allies to bring Russia back from the brink,” a spokesperson for the agency said. Downing Street.
Moscow, which already annexed Crimea in 2014, denies any aggressive intentions towards Ukraine, but conditions de-escalation on a series of requirements, in particular the assurance that Kiev will never join NATO.
A condition that Westerners find unacceptable.
With AFP
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