Tuesday, December 28, 2021
Ex-UN ambassador warns
“Putin seeks occasion to invade”
The West is concerned about the concentration of Russian troops not far from Ukraine. Conversely, Moscow also sees itself threatened and calls for an end to NATO’s eastward expansion. Russia and the US want to talk in January. The future head of the Munich Security Conference recommends a tough stance.
The designated new head of the Munich Security Conference, Christoph Heusgen, certifies Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “desire for expansion” and advises the West to take a tough stance in the Ukraine conflict. Putin sees the USA and Europe as weakened by the change of government and because of the inglorious end of the Afghanistan mission and is looking for a reason to invade Ukraine, the former German ambassador to the United Nations told the editorial network Germany.
In this case, sanctions would also have to include the Nord Stream 2 Baltic Sea gas pipeline from Russia to Germany and the exclusion of Russia from the Swift international payment system, Heusgen said. “Putin would interpret a soft reaction as weakness and only stimulate his desire for expansion.”
Weber: “The situation is very, very serious”
The Chairman of the EPP Group in the EU Parliament, Manfred Weber, also expressed concern. The CSU politician warned of a new war in Europe. “The situation is serious. It is very, very serious,” Weber told “Münchner Merkur”. Russia has gathered more than 100,000 soldiers at the border. In addition, the latest propaganda get him, said Weber. “Words prepare action. Putin speaks of a genocide in Donbass, which could then be used to justify a war.”
For weeks now, the West has been particularly concerned about the fact that Russia has pulled together tens of thousands of soldiers in areas not far from Ukraine. However, last week Putin expressed his willingness to resolve the tension diplomatically. Talks with the US are scheduled for January 10th. NATO is planning a meeting with Russia on January 12th. This would mean that the NATO-Russia Council would meet again for the first time in two and a half years. Most recently it was said that Moscow was still considering participation. Moscow calls for an end to NATO’s eastward expansion, which it sees itself threatened by. In addition, Russia wants to ensure that Ukraine does not become a member of NATO.
Heusgen, long-time foreign and security policy advisor to Angela Merkel, said: “Putin lives in his own nostalgic world in which international law is not a benchmark.” He glorified the Soviet Union and even the Stalin regime. “He is striving to restore a Russian empire that is reminiscent of the Soviet Union.” Putin’s claim that NATO promised not to expand eastwards after the Warsaw Pact collapsed is “pure propaganda” and unfounded. “Putin knows all of this very well.”
Russia warns of armed conflict
In view of the tensions between Russia and NATO, the Defense Ministry in Moscow only warned Western military attachés of the risk of armed conflict on Monday. “Recently, the Alliance has adopted a practice of direct provocation, which poses a high risk of escalating into armed confrontation,” said Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin. Fomin accused NATO of a massive increase in military activities. In 2020 alone, the number of military flights on Russia’s borders rose from 436 to 710. Every year NATO also holds 30 major maneuvers with combat scenarios against Russia.
Fomin said Russia would be ready to talk on an equal footing at any time. At the same time, he criticized the fact that NATO had for years rejected every offer of talks from Moscow and preferred confrontation. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union 30 years ago, Russia has told NATO to move military bases and weapon systems ever closer to Russia. In Eastern Europe alone, 13,000 soldiers from NATO countries, including 200 tanks and 30 planes and helicopters, are now permanently stationed.
Heusgen warned that the United States is currently barely able to resolve international conflicts because of a deep division in its society and major domestic political reforms. The education and health systems have to be reformed, climate change poses huge problems for the country, and parts of the infrastructure are ailing. At the same time, the Republicans of ex-President Donald Trump lurking in the background, shaking the very foundations of American democracy. “Against this background, it is understandable that Biden can only pay very limited attention to foreign policy.”