(Bloomberg) — Western allies are pushing ahead with diplomatic efforts to avert war between Russia and Ukraine, though the Kremlin warned that a U.S. decision to put as many as 8,500 troops on alert for deployment in Eastern Europe “exacerbates tensions.”
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will discuss the crisis with French President Emmanuel Macron in Berlin on Tuesday evening, and Pierre Vimont, Macron’s Russia adviser, will be in Moscow to present proposals for deescalation. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make a statement on Ukraine to parliament.
Russia has massed thousands of troops, tanks and equipment near Ukraine’s eastern border and the U.S. and its allies say it could be preparing for military action. Moscow has denied it intends to invade.
Key Developments:
- U.S. says 8,500 troops are on alert for deployment
- Biden has ‘great meeting’ with European leaders
- Germany holds firm on policy of not arming Ukraine
- Qatar Can’t Help Much If Russian Gas Is Interrupted
- Australia tells citizens in Ukraine to “leave now”
All times CET.
Sanctions ‘Counterproductive’: French Far-Right Leader (12:30 p.m.)
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen, a frontrunner in April’s presidential election, said sanctions on Russia are counterproductive and warned against “a new Cold War” led by the U.S.
Such a conflict could “push Russia into the arms of China” and “lead to the creation of a Sino-Russian empire,” Le Pen said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. “We were completely sidelined from the discussions between the U.S. and Russia,” she added. “This shows how much influence we have lost.”
Kremlin Says U.S. Troops on Alert Raises Tensions (10:20 a.m.)
The U.S. troop move “exacerbates tensions” and Russia is monitoring the situation “with great concern,” according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
Russia still expects to receive written U.S. responses to its security demands this week, after which it will decide on prospects for future diplomacy, Peskov said on a conference call with reporters. Among other things, Russia is demanding that NATO pull back military infrastructure from its periphery, something the alliance has so far refused to do.
U.S. Coordinating With Allies on Reply to Russia (10:20 a.m.)
The U.S. is coordinating with the EU and NATO on its written response to Russia’s demands about NATO and Ukraine, according to an EU official who asked not to be identified.
The reply is unlikely to be a detailed discussion of those requirements, the official said, but will set out areas where western allies believe they can address Russian concerns, as well as Russian actions that are alarming to Europe.
British Minister Flags Russian ‘Advance Force’ (10:15 a.m.)
The U.K.’s armed-forces minister has claimed in an opinion piece, without providing further details, that Britain is aware of “a significant number of individuals that are assessed to be associated with Russian military advance-force operations and currently located in Ukraine.”
Moscow hit back on Sunday at separate U.K. allegations that it’s plotting to install a pro-Russian leader in Kyiv. Those assertions, offered without a timeline on the intelligence, were contained in a U.K. Foreign Office statement.
Ukraine Minister Plays Down Risk of Ground War (10:10 a.m.)
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov played down the prospect of a full-scale invasion by the Russian military and reinforced the view from officials in Kyiv that the nation’s security challenge hasn’t changed significantly since 2014.
“The aggression continues since 2014 — the facts are the same, but the assessment of these facts is different,” Reznikov told reporters on Tuesday, citing international media coverage. Still, the shift is giving Ukraine the chance to benefit from greater military assistance, he said.
Germany Defends Restrictive Arms Export Policy (9:30 a.m.)
Tobias Lindner, a deputy German foreign minister, defended the government’s policy of not supplying Ukraine with weapons, arguing that there could never be a military solution to the conflict.
“You won’t be able to upgrade Ukraine’s army quickly enough so that one could solve this crisis by achieving a military equilibrium,” Lindner said Tuesday during a video call with foreign-policy analysts. Germany’s strategy to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from an invasion relies on the threat of economic sanctions, Lindner added.
United Nations Calls for Winter Olympics Truce (9:20 a.m.)
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged nations to respect the “Olympic Truce,” calling on all countries to halt hostilities during the Winter Games in Beijing.
“With conflict spreading and tensions rising, this appeal represents a chance to overcome differences and find paths towards lasting peace,” Guterres said in an emailed statement. The Winter Games take place Feb. 4-20 and the Paralympic Winter Games March 4-13.
Latvia Says Russia Rejected Inspection Request (8:30 a.m.)
Russia last week rejected a request from Latvia to inspect military drills, citing restrictions imposed due to the pandemic, according to the defense ministry in Riga.
“This refusal is not understandable in a situation where Russia is massively concentrating its troops on the Ukrainian border, while at the same time claiming that it has no plans to invade,” Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks said. “The excuse of Covid-19 restrictions suggests that Russia has something to hide and that it does not want to reveal the true size and intentions of its military activities, as foreseen under OSCE cooperation,” he added.
Ukraine Ambassador Repeats Call for German Support (8:30 a.m.)
Ukraine’s ambassador to Berlin repeated a call for Chancellor Scholz’s government to supply it with “defensive weapons,” making a direct appeal to Germans on a morning television show.
“We have the right to self-defense so we hope that the Germans will wake up and realize that we’re facing the biggest threat since World War II,” Ambassador Andriy Melnyk said on ZDF TV. “We have to show Russia that Ukraine is ready and armed.”
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