Preparing for “all-out war”: EU plans in case of attack in Ukraine

Preparation for “total war”
EU plans in case of attack in Ukraine

The USA, Great Britain and the EU are preparing for an emergency: if Russia attacks Ukraine, they want to react with sanctions. Before that happens, some states are calling for a “disarmament of words”. Others are already talking about Russia’s preparation for “total war”.

The EU is working with the United States and Great Britain to prepare possible retaliatory measures in the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine. It is examining which sanctions could be imposed in a coordinated manner as well as when and how, said the EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borell on the sidelines of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. According to him, the main aim is to show Russia that any aggression against Ukraine would come at a high price.

Lithuania’s Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said: “We are convinced that Russia is indeed preparing for an all-out war against Ukraine. And this is an unprecedented event – probably since World War II.” That means that the response from Western states must also be unprecedented. Other participants in the meeting warned against arming. “What we really need now is a disarmament of words and deeds on both sides,” said Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg. The line that one will not stand idly by if one tries again to move borders with violence in Europe is clear.

The chairman of the SPD parliamentary group had made a similar statement. “We have to do everything we can to reduce the real danger of war and to break the spiral of threats and counter threats,” said Rolf Mützenich of the “Rheinische Post”. Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn said that one could not only talk about sanctions, but that one had to get involved in negotiations.

Russian mercenary company in its sights

Germany’s new Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock initially did not comment publicly on the debate in Brussels. The evening before, she had made it clear in the ZDF “heute journal” that in the event of a Russian attack on Ukraine there would be an operating ban for the controversial Baltic Sea pipeline Nord Stream 2 between Russia and Germany. It had been discussed between the USA and the previous federal government, “that in the event of further escalations this pipeline could no longer go online like this,” she said.

The foreign ministers decided on sanctions against the Russian mercenary company Wagner and companies and persons affiliated with it. This is due in particular to Wagner’s activities in Syria, Libya and Ukraine, as confirmed by the Council of Member States and diplomats. According to EU information, serious human rights violations occur time and again when the company is deployed. The resolution provides for the Wagner Group and three companies associated with it and eight people to be placed on the EU sanctions list. This will freeze their existing assets in the EU, and affected persons will no longer be allowed to enter. Companies and citizens from the EU are also no longer allowed to do business with those affected.

The sanction decision should be published in the EU Official Journal on Monday and thus come into force. The background to the discussions about how to deal with Russia is based on the findings of NATO that Russia has concentrated between 75,000 and 100,000 soldiers in areas not far from Ukraine. The developments bring back memories of 2014. At that time, Russia had annexed the Crimean peninsula after the coup in Ukraine and began supporting separatists in eastern Ukraine, which is still ongoing.

Russia accuses the West of “demonizing”

According to Western intelligence services, the main reasons behind the Russian troop movements are demands made by Russian President Vladimir Putin on NATO. According to this, he wants to persuade the military alliance to exclude Ukraine from being accepted by creating a threatening backdrop. He also said he wanted NATO to refrain from stationing troops and equipment in Ukraine, stop all military support and no longer conduct any exercises in the vicinity of Russia.

Russia has been denying the allegation of plans to attack Ukraine for weeks. Moscow is not threatening anyone, said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in an interview broadcast on Russian state television. “The fueling of the tense news situation and so on is once again being done with the aim of further demonizing Russia,” he said. Russia should be portrayed as an “aggressor”.

At the same time, Moscow has recently confirmed several times that it is demanding security guarantees. Most recently, for example, it was said that Ukraine’s involvement in NATO would constitute “irresponsible behavior” and would involve “great military risks for all those involved, including a major conflict in Europe”.

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