Tue 15 February 2022:
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin believes that the talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday would be constructive and businesslike.
“We hope that today’s talks will be as constructive, practical and useful as possible. And the talks are held so that the president and the chancellor can explain to each other their approaches to pressing issues,” Peskov told reporters, adding that talks are expected to be “lengthy” as sides plan to discuss security guarantees and tensions in Europe.
Meanwhile, White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told a US lawmakers’ briefing that Germany still needs to be persuaded when it comes to imposing sanctions on Russia, Politico reported on Wednesday.
“They need constant coaxing especially Germany,” Sullivan said answering the US House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Chairman Gregory Meeks question whether some allies still need some persuasion when it comes to sanctions.
According to Politico, the US and Germany have not been able to harmonize their approach to Russia, especially regarding the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, but consider that will act in unison.
In the past few months, Western countries and Ukraine have accused Russia of deploying additional troops along the Ukrainian border in alleged preparation for invasion. Moscow has repeatedly denied these allegations by saying that it has no intention of invading Ukraine while stressing that it has the right to move its troops within its national territory.
Russia has also expressed concerns over NATO military activity near its borders and ongoing military support to Ukraine, including an increase in the number of Western military advisers in the breakaway Donbas region and increased arms deliveries to Kiev.
Return Of Troops To Bases After Drills
Earlier in the day, the Russian Defense Ministry said that the southern and western military units have started returning their troops to places of permanent deployment.
“We have always said that after the exercise ends, those stages that must be completed within a certain time frame, the troops return to their places of permanent deployment, this is happening this time as well. There is no novelty here. It’s a normal process,” Peskov told reporters.
US Offers $1 Bn In Loan Guarantees For Ukraine
The United States is offering up to $1 billion in credit guarantees to help Ukraine weather the threat of war against Russia, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday.
Blinken said the offer would bolster “Ukraine’s ability to ensure economic stability, growth, and prosperity for its people in the face of Russia’s destabilizing behavior.” The guarantees would make it far easier and likely cheaper for Ukraine’s government to borrow money.
Ukraine is one of the poorest countries in Europe and its corruption-plagued economy has suffered from heightened tensions over the possibility of an invasion by Russia.
SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES
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