NATO sees no signs, advises EU heads of state and government «kleinezeitung.at

Russian head of state Vladimir Putin says he favors diplomacy to resolve the crisis – but according to NATO, Russia continues to deploy its forces.

3:48 PM Feb 16 2022

After Russia announced the withdrawal of troops from the border region after the end of the exercises, there is no clear picture of the Ukrainian crisis. According to the Moscow Defense Ministry, the Russian Armed Forces have completed military exercises in Crimea. The units of the Southern Military District have completed their “tactical maneuvers” at the military bases of the peninsula and are now returning to their original bases, And the ministry announced, on Wednesday, according to news agencies. Television footage showed military units crossing a bridge linking the peninsula to the mainland.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg There are still tangible indications of de-escalation in the Ukraine-Russia border area. “So far we haven’t seen any de-escalation on the ground. On the contrary: it seems that Russia continues to build up its military.”NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday on the sidelines of a meeting of Allied Defense Ministers. However, the fact remains that NATO is ready to hold talks with the government in Moscow, Stoltenberg said before the deliberations of defense ministers of the NATO countries in Brussels.

the 27 Heads of State and Government of the European Union He will meet on Thursday at 12:30 p.m. to discuss the reinforcement of Russian forces on the Ukrainian border.

A new hacker attack on the Ukrainian Defense Ministry has caused more concern. The attack continued for the second day in a row. The government announced in Kiev on Wednesday. Hackers managed to find weaknesses in the programming code of the Internet portal. Traffic was redirected to US servers while the issue was being resolved. The US government offered assistance. The presidential office in Moscow said Russia had nothing to do with the attack. However, it is not surprising that the Kiev government was suspicious of Russia.

Russia’s ambassador to the European Union: “No attack on Wednesday”

Russian Ambassador to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov He had previously strongly rejected US warnings that Russian forces could invade neighboring Ukraine on Wednesday. “With regard to Russia, I can assure you that there will be no attack on Wednesday. “There will be no escalation next week, either in the next week or in the next month,” Chizhov told Die Welt newspaper. Wars in Europe rarely start on a Wednesday.

Chisov denounced worrying statements about a possible attack on Ukraine: “When you make allegations – especially very serious allegations against Russia – you also have a responsibility to provide evidence, otherwise it is slander. Where is the evidence? “ asked him.

With the massive deployment of troops on the border with Ukraine, the West fears a Russian attack on the neighboring countryin another meaning. The United States had set Wednesday as the date of a possible invasion. But on Tuesday, shortly before a meeting between German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow announced the withdrawal of some troops from the border.

Moscow rejects any plans to attack and justifies the build-up of forces in the west of the country with military exercises. At the same time, the Kremlin has repeatedly stated in recent weeks that it feels threatened by NATO. President Vladimir Putin In the list of demands addressed to NATO and the USA, it calls on the West to issue legally binding guarantees for Russia’s security. Specifically, this includes abandoning Ukraine’s accession to NATO and abandoning the centralization of weapons systems, including the US missile defense system, in front of Russia’s borders.

Wars in Europe rarely start on a Wednesday.

Vladimir Chizhov, Russian Ambassador to the European Union

EU Ambassador Chisov has called again on the West to take Russia’s security concerns seriously. “If our partners finally listen to our legitimate concerns, the process of détente will not be long in coming. It will be in the interest of all Europeans from Lisbon to Vladivostok, but also all other countries of the world.”

Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makey In the meantime, he announced that the Russian troops would fully return to their homeland after the joint exercises. No Russian soldier or even a piece of equipment will remain in Belarus. Western countries have expressed concerns that Russian forces may attack Ukraine from Belarus or remain in Belarus permanently.