“At First Toe”
Johnson threatens sanctions before Putin call
2/2/2022 7:17 am
Even before Russian President Putin and Johnson meet for talks, the British prime minister has made his stance on the heated Ukraine conflict clear: sanctions will be imposed as soon as “the first toe of a Russian shoe” sets foot on Ukrainian territory.
In the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, diplomatic efforts to ease the situation are entering the next round. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson plans to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the phone this Wednesday.
Johnson had already visited Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kiev on Tuesday. The British prime minister stressed that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would mean a political, humanitarian and military catastrophe. He threatened that Britain and its allies had prepared tough sanctions against Russia. These will come into force as soon as “the first Russian toe” enters Ukrainian territory.
For his part, Putin warned on Tuesday of the risk of war in Europe should Ukraine become a member of NATO. He also criticized the negative attitude towards the Russian demands to stop NATO’s eastward expansion. However, the written answers from the USA and NATO would be examined. “I hope that we will find a solution in the end, even if it’s not easy. We are aware of that,” said the Kremlin chief.
The talks between Putin and Johnson were initially scheduled for Monday, but did not take place due to Johnson’s domestic problems. Johnson is under massive pressure because of numerous parties during the lockdown.
Heusgen for Germany’s military contribution
The future chairman of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, has called for Germany to make a stronger military contribution to the conflict – for example by supplying weapons for defense. “If the Ukrainians turn to Germany for help today, we should support them with defensive weapons,” Heusgen told the newspapers of the Funke media group and the French newspaper “Ouest-France”. The traditional rule in Germany is that no armaments are delivered to conflict regions. But: “In addition to our restraint, we must also remember that during the Second World War German security forces carried out massacres of Jewish Ukrainians,” said former Chancellor Angela Merkel’s long-standing foreign policy adviser.
“The conflict is too complex for arms deliveries alone to solve it,” said CSU General Secretary Markus Blume to the editorial network Germany. An overall concept is needed that follows two maxims: stay in dialogue and show clear consequences in the event that the territorial integrity of Ukraine is not respected. The conflict will also be an issue at the closed conference of the CSU state group, which begins on Wednesday in Berlin.
With a massive Russian troop buildup near Ukraine, there are fears in the West that Russia is planning an invasion of its neighbor. The Kremlin denies that. It is also considered possible that fears are being fueled in order to persuade the NATO countries to make concessions on security guarantees. Moscow has addressed a corresponding catalog of demands to NATO and the USA, including an end to NATO’s eastward expansion. Both reject Russia’s core concerns, but have offered dialogue in written replies.