Friday April 16, 2021
Merkel and Macron warn Moscow
Zelenskyi presses on peace summit with Putin
Chancellor Merkel, French President Macron and Kiev’s head of state Selenskyj are calling for Russian troops to be withdrawn from the border region of Ukraine. But it does not look like relaxation: Moscow has announced military maneuvers in the Black Sea and wants to block international sea routes.
Germany, France and Ukraine have called for Russian troops to be withdrawn from the border with Ukraine. The goal is a “de-escalation of the situation”, said government spokesman Steffen Seibert after consultations with Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron and the Ukrainian head of state Volodymyr Selenskyj. After the video conference, Merkel and Macron underlined their “support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”.
Macron had previously received Zelensky in Paris. The Ukrainian head of state then called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to hold a joint summit in the so-called Normandy format. At the end of 2019, Putin and Selenskyj met for the first time in Paris through the mediation of Merkel and Macron. However, hopes for a clear rapprochement and a follow-up summit have not been fulfilled since then. Zelenskyi also agreed to hold private peace talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. A separate conversation between Putin and US President Joe Biden could also help.
In view of the troop marches on Russian and Ukrainian territory, international concerns about an escalation are growing. Despite a ceasefire that has been in force since July, almost 60 people have died in the conflict area of eastern Ukraine since the beginning of the year.
Military maneuvers in the Black Sea
In the midst of growing tensions, Russia is planning a maneuver in the Black Sea and wants to cordon off certain sea areas. However, shipping through the Kerch Strait on the Crimean peninsula is not affected by the closure planned for October 31. This was reported by the Russian state agency Ria Novosti, citing the Ministry of Defense in the capital Moscow. Nevertheless, criticism came from the EU and Ukraine. A senior EU official spoke of an “extremely worrying development”. According to him, it can be assumed that the rights of passage enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea would be restricted and international shipping would be hindered.
Russia must guarantee free international passage to the ports of the Sea of Azov, demanded the Foreign Ministry in Kiev. Moscow is thus going over to an “increased escalation in the sea”. According to the Ukrainian Navy, boats of the Russian coastal defense in the Sea of Azov – it borders on the Black Sea – obstructed ships of the Ukrainian fleet. Ukrainian media reported that the Ukrainians threatened to use weapons.
Foreign warships locked out
The conflict is reminiscent of an incident in November 2018 when two Ukrainian military ships were arrested by the Russian coast guard while attempting to pass through the Kerch Strait. The 24 arrested Ukrainian sailors only returned to their homeland after Zelenskyi took office as part of a prisoner exchange in September 2020. The Kerch Strait is an international body of water.
According to Russian information, part of the Black Sea along the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, is said to be closed because of the naval exercise on April 24. Foreign warships and other state ships will then no longer be allowed to pass through this area, for example from the Crimean city of Sevastropol to Gurzuf, whereas cargo ships will. The affected areas were in Russian territorial waters, it said. However, Russia’s claim to the territories is not recognized.
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