NATO conducts maneuvers near Kaliningrad, Russia, and Macron sets 3 demands from Putin

On Friday, NATO carried out maneuvers on the borders of the Russian province of Kaliningrad and stressed that there would be no peace if the latter was victorious in Ukraine, while French President Emmanuel Macron set a time frame for possible new talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

The TUMAK-22 maneuvers took place in the sparsely populated Sowaki region, which is located in northern Poland, between Belarus and the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, amid tensions between NATO and Russia due to the ongoing war in Ukraine since February 24.

Kaliningrad is an administrative province of Russia, with no land borders connected to it, as it overlooks the Baltic Sea and is located between the countries of Lithuania and Poland on the European continent, but it was considered throughout its history a military city, as its view of the Baltic Sea made it an excellent choice for establishing military bases.

The Suvauki region, in which the maneuvers are taking place, is of strategic importance because Russia's takeover of it will isolate the Baltic states from the rest of the NATO countries, and it is also of great importance to the security of the eastern wing of NATO.

The maneuvers included exercises to cross the water and land in which Polish and American soldiers and other countries in the alliance participated, and American forces in "Abrams" tanks carried out a simulated pursuit of the enemy, and while explosions were heard in Lake Kipno near the village of Klose with the start of a simulated attack, low clouds prevented the planes Military to participate in maneuvers at the lake.

The Polish Ministry of Defense said that the exercises include two thousand soldiers from the land and air forces, and more than a thousand pieces of combat and logistical support equipment are used in them, while a senior Polish officer stated that the exercises are part of a larger maneuver that has been taking place for several weeks in the region.

Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said that the allies know the methods used by Russia and effective defense methods, and his country had strengthened its armed forces after the Russian attack on Ukraine, and plans to increase defense spending to 3% of its GDP.

In Romania, hundreds of NATO soldiers participated in a joint exercise called "Black Scorpions 22.8". The exercises included soldiers from Romania, France, the United States, Poland and Portugal.

In conjunction with the maneuvers, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that there will be no lasting peace if Russia is victorious in Ukraine, stressing that the alliance has handed Kyiv what it enables it to confront the drones and will not back down from its support. 

Macron and Putin

In conjunction with the heating of the atmosphere, maneuvers and exercises in the eastern wing of NATO, the French presidency announced on Friday that President Emmanuel Macron will not hold a new conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin before his visit to the United States next week, indicating that the talks are taking place according to needs and not on a routine basis.

An advisor to President Macron said in press statements that the conversation with Putin will take place "soon enough," explaining that no date has been set for that yet.

Macron and Putin have spoken repeatedly since the start of the Russian war on Ukraine (French)

The French official added that Macron would like to remind Putin of France's demands, which are "for Russian forces to leave Ukraine and for Ukraine to restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity," in addition to securing the Ukrainian Zaporizhia nuclear plant, which is controlled by Russian forces.

On Wednesday, the French President announced that he intends to have direct contact with his Russian counterpart in the coming days on civil nuclear issues, including the situation at the Zaporizhia nuclear plant.

Kyiv and Moscow exchange accusations of bombing the plant, which is the largest of its kind in Europe, which raises fears of a nuclear catastrophe.

Recently, the French presidency announced that Macron would contact Putin after the G20 summit, which was held on November 15 and 16 on the Indonesian island of Bali, and the last conversation between the two presidents took place on September 11.

Russian response

On the other hand, Russia considered on Friday that the resolution approved by the European Parliament and classified it as a "state sponsor of terrorism" because of its war in Ukraine "is not related" to the fight against terrorism.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the decision was an "unfriendly step" and part of "a campaign waged by the West against our country."

The European Parliament voted on the resolution last Wednesday, calling on EU member states to follow suit.

The resolution was approved by 191 votes in favor, 58 against, and 44 abstentions. Ukraine has repeatedly called on the international community to declare Russia a "state sponsor of terrorism."

The decision of the European Parliament at this stage is symbolic in the absence of an appropriate legal framework in the European Union, unlike the United States, which has so far refrained from classifying Russia as an international sponsor of terrorism.