EU sees no sign of de-escalation yet

Despite the announced withdrawal of its troops in Crimea, Moscow's attitude leaves senior EU officials wary after weeks of tension on the Ukrainian border.

“We urge Russia to take concrete and tangible steps towards de-escalation, because this is the condition for sincere political dialogue.

We cannot eternally attempt diplomacy on one side while the other side is amassing troops,” warned Charles Michel in the hemicycle of the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

If "the path of cooperation between Russia and us is still possible", the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen called for "remain vigilant", and warned Russia that the EU was able to do without the Russian gas this winter in the event of Moscow's decision to reduce or cease deliveries.

After contacting other countries "ready to increase their liquefied natural gas exports" and developing gas infrastructure in the EU, "our (forecast) models show that with all the measures taken, we are now in security for this winter,” Ursula von der Leyen assured MEPs.

“NATO has not yet seen any signs of any reduction in Russian troops”

According to the most recent Eurostat data, Russia accounted for more than 40% of the EU's annual natural gas imports.

After weeks of intense tension between Russia and Western countries, fearing an invasion of neighboring Ukraine, Moscow announced on Tuesday the start of the withdrawal of tens of thousands of Russian soldiers massed for several months at the Ukrainian borders, then on Wednesday the end of military maneuvers and the departure of some of its forces from the annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.

But "NATO has not yet seen any signs of any reduction in Russian troops, and if the Kremlin chooses violence against Ukraine, our response will remain strong and united", warned the president of the European Commission.

Considering that the sequence of events remains unpredictable, the head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell, also present in Strasbourg, explained that the EU was "ready to participate in discussions" with Russia on the one hand, but also "to prepare to respond” with sanctions.

In addition, in support of Ukraine, Charles Michel considered that it would be necessary to "go beyond" the emergency loan of 1.2 billion euros proposed by the European Commission, which should be validated on Wednesday by the European Parliament.

"I want to launch here this proposal for an initiative, to set up, in close cooperation with Ukraine and the European Union, a conference of donors in order to support Ukraine's economic robustness", proposed the President of the EU Council.

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