After a day where the tension seemed to ease, the poker game continues at the Ukrainian border. “Yesterday [mardi]the Russians announced that they were withdrawing troops from the border with Ukraine (…). We now know that is not true”said a senior White House official who requested anonymity, Wednesday, February 16, from journalists.
“In fact, we have now confirmed that in recent days Russia has increased its presence along the Ukrainian border adding up to 7,000 troops, some of whom arrived today [mercredi] », he continued. According to this official, if Russia has said that it wants to find a diplomatic solution, “His actions indicate otherwise”.
Joining the United States and NATO, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had seen no signs of a decrease in the concentration of Russian troops at the borders, saying he had simply noticed “small spins”. On Wednesday, he attended major military exercises in the west of the country and then traveled to the east, to Mariupol, near the frontline with pro-Russian separatists backed by Moscow.
“We are not afraid of any prognosis, we are not afraid of anyone (…) because we are going to defend ourselves”launched Mr. Zelensky, dressed in a military outfit on the occasion of the “Day of unity” which he had decreed.
Diplomatic ballet
While increasing diplomatic negotiations, Americans and Europeans have warned that massive economic sanctions were ready in the event of Moscow taking action, which denies any desire to invade.
During a telephone conversation on Wednesday evening, US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed that “Russia must take real de-escalation measures” and “expect extremely serious consequences” if it attacks Ukraine, according to a statement from Berlin.
On the sidelines of the Security Conference, to be held this weekend in Munich (Germany), US Vice President Kamala Harris will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and hold talks with many European officials, announced, Wednesday, the White House.
For their part, the Heads of State and Government of the Twenty-Seven will hold discussions on Thursday on the evolution of tensions around Ukraine, before the start of a summit between the European Union and the African Union in Brussels, a spokesman for the European Council announced on Wednesday.
“New normal in Europe”
The Russian army announced on Wednesday the end of exercises and the departure of soldiers from the annexed peninsula of Crimea, publishing a video claiming to show wagons loaded with military equipment leaving the night zone. Belarus also promised on Wednesday that all Russian soldiers deployed on its territory as part of maneuvers would leave the country at the scheduled end of these exercises, on February 20.
But, before the latest American statements, NATO was already saying that it did not see the announced de-escalation. “On the contrary, it appears that Russia continues to strengthen its military presence. It can still invade Ukraine without notice, the capabilities are in place,” with more than 100,000 soldiers, its general secretary, Jens Stoltenberg, had said earlier. Moscow still concentrates “so many strengths” around Ukraine, also said the head of French diplomacy, Jean-Yves Le Drian.
Faced with this threat described as “new normal in Europe”, NATO has announced that it has further strengthened its military presence on its eastern flank. “We have defensively increased our presence in the east and we plan to increase it further. Romania is ready to host a battle group, France is ready to command it, and several allies wish to participate in this multinational force, but no final decision has been taken”said Mr. Stoltenberg.
“To ensure the defense of all Allies, we are deploying additional ground forces in the eastern part of Alliance territory, as well as additional sea and air assets (…), and we have raised the level of readiness of our forces”also explained the ministers in a joint declaration adopted unanimously.
Unfurled Ukrainian flags
Moscow deplores Western rejection of its main demands, such as an end to the Alliance’s policy of enlargement, in particular to Ukraine, and the withdrawal of NATO’s military infrastructure from Eastern Europe. ‘East. For their part, the West has proposed talks on other subjects, such as arms control.
Alongside claims of partial troop withdrawal, Moscow opened a new front with a parliamentary vote on Tuesday calling on Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize the independence of separatist territories in Ukraine. It would be a “gross violation of international law”US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned on Wednesday.
The United States thus joins the European Union which had already “strongly condemned”, Tuesday, the call of the Duma. And, like Brussels, Washington stresses that an approval by the Kremlin of this resolution “would represent a wholesale rejection by the Russian government of its commitments in accordance with the Minsk agreements”signed in 2014, under Franco-German mediation and providing for the eventual return of these territories to the control of Kiev.
In the streets of the Ukrainian capital, many flags were visible on the occasion of the “Day of Unity” decreed by Mr. Zelensky, which minimizes the risk of an invasion. Symbolically, several wealthy Ukrainians announced their return to the country after a call from the Head of State. Ukraine’s richest man, oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, also visited Mariupol, announcing more than 1 billion dollars (880 million euros) in investments there for 2022.