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Here the Russian attack, there the Russian attack, where is the Russian attack?
The planet is holding its breath, knowing that each passing day could lead to a catastrophic war or the avoidance of one. The Russian president's decision to withdraw part of his troops leaves room for optimism. We recall that on 15 February Moscow announced that some of the troops it had gathered on the border with Ukraine were returning to their bases. In fact, they remain on the Ukrainian front, mainly units transferred from the Central Military District of the Russian Army.
In any case, this statement favours dialogue, removing the pistol from the negotiating table. The Russian-Ukrainian crisis, however, tends to turn into a geopolitical thriller with constant ups and downs. After the first breath of relief, the United States is questioning Moscow's move. They insist that an attack is both possible and a matter of time. State Department spokesman Ned Price warned that Russian officials are "planting" narratives in the press that could be used as a pretext for an invasion of Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that "no indication has been given regarding a de-escalation on the ground". He refers to military reinforcements and points out that a redeployment of forces is not equivalent to a withdrawal.
The Kremlin, for its part, speaks at the same time of a "risk of escalation" centred on the breakaway provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk, while Kiev calls for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. In other words, the Russian Duma has sent a resolution to Vladimir Putin for ratification, calling for the breakaway provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk to be recognised as "sovereign people's republics". The move automatically means the cancellation of the Minsk process, the set of agreements concluded between Russia and Ukraine in 2015 with Franco-German mediation. Washington has warned Putin not to proceed with an illegal recognition of Donbass independence.
In Berlin, it is difficult to decipher the Putin-Soltz meeting, while remaining skeptical as to whether a conflict has been avoided. In Brussels and at the EU summit, European leaders will have the opportunity to discuss Ukraine and to be further briefed by Macron and Solts, who spoke privately with the Russian president.
In any case, it is not particularly comforting that Ukraine's oligarchs and millionaires have fled their homeland in fear of war. For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country "is not afraid" and "will defend itself" against Russia.
Putin's meeting with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko in Moscow on February 18 is also considered noteworthy. For his part, Tayyip Erdogan hopes to stay in the thick of things in the midst of this belligerent situation. The Turkish press has revealed the Turkish president's efforts to organize a trilateral meeting with his Ukrainian and Russian counterparts.
Source: Proto Thema
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