FRANCE, GERMANY WARN RUSSIA OF ‘SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES’ AS TENSION BUILDS UP ON UKRAINE’S BORDER

Tue 16 November 2021:

The European Union has been focused on Belarus for weeks as the situation in the northeast of Europe has deteriorated, but tensions are also rising in the east.

Ukraine is once again in the spotlight, with Russia being accused of a military build-up around the Ukrainian border. As a result, the risk of an assault on the country has increased.

France and Germany warned Russia on Monday that if it tries to undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity, it would face “serious consequences,” amid concerns over a significant military buildup on the country’s border.

On the sidelines of an Eastern Partnership ministerial meeting in Brussels, the two countries’ foreign ministers, Jean-Yves Le Drian and Heiko Maas, met with their Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba. The Eastern Partnership is a forum aimed at improving the political and economic trade relations of the post-Soviet states of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.

Concerned with the buildup of troops and military equipment, Le Drian and Maas called on Russia “to adopt a posture of restraint and to be transparent about its military activities.”

“Any further attempt to undermine the territorial integrity of Ukraine would have serious consequences,” said a joint statement from the two ministers.

This is the second time since April that Ukraine is faced with a security crisis at its borders with Russia.

Speaking on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin as part of a flurry of conversations between Western leaders and Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, the French President Macron, expressed his deep concern over the situation on Ukraine’s borders.

“Our willingness to defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity was reiterated by the president,” a Macron adviser told reporters of the conversation initiated by Macron.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov previously dismissed as “wrong” a statement by the US State Department that the Belarus border crisis was intended to distract attention from the increase in Russian military activity near the border. ‘Ukraine, another former Soviet republic.

“A significant, large Russian military build-up”

“We call on Russia to be transparent about its military activities,” NATO’s chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday.

Stoltenberg, who met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Brussels on Monday, insisted that “it is important to prevent escalations and reduce tensions.”

The NATO chief avoided speaking about a possible invasion but warned about “a significant, large Russian military build-up.”

Discussed the security situation in & around #Ukraine with Foreign Minister @DmytroKuleba. #NATO is closely monitoring the large and unusual concentrations of Russian forces close to Ukraine’s borders. We call on Russia to be transparent, prevent escalation & reduce tensions. pic.twitter.com/UWYytYYRBg

— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) November 15, 2021

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday that NATO did not want to speculate on Russia’s intentions on Ukraine, adding, “We see an unusual concentration of troops and we know that Russia has been willing to use this type of military capability before. conduct aggressive actions against Ukraine “.

“The use of migrants as a weapon against Poland, against Lithuania and in a broader sense against the European and Euroatlantic community, the energy crisis in Europe, the disinformation and propaganda campaigns aiming at showing divisions in the European countries”, these are some of the examples for what Kuleba argued is “a part of a broader strategy of Russia to shatter Europe and create the conditions where Europe will be tempted to make concessions to Russia”.

But EU Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell avoided making a connection about what’s going on in both countries although he emphasised that he does not trust Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Frankly speaking I don’t believe that [Belarusian President Alexander] Lukashenko could be doing what he is doing without the strong support from Russia,” the bloc’s top diplomat said during a press conference in Brussels on Monday.

Russian-backed separatists took control of Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region in 2014 in a conflict that continued. Moscow also annexed Crimea from Ukraine earlier that year after the former Soviet republic sought closer ties with the EU.

A satellite picture shows ground forces deployment in Yelnya, Russia November 1, 2021. Pic: Maxar /Reuters

_____________________________________________________________________________

FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:

TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent