French President Emmanuel Macron has telephoned US President Joe Biden before his trip to Moscow. The White House said Sunday’s conversation was about the Ukrainian conflict. Germany, for its part, is willing to send additional troops to the Baltic States. This was announced by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday, before his departure to Washington where he will meet the American president on Monday.
Biden and Macron discussed the “ongoing diplomatic efforts and deterrent measures in response to Russia’s continued military build-up on Ukraine’s borders.” They reaffirmed their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Paris stated that the conversation lasted forty minutes.
Macron will travel to Moscow on Monday to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. The two heads of state have already held three crisis talks by telephone in recent days. France currently holds the presidency of the European Union.
In a telephone conversation between US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian on Sunday, the Ukrainian conflict was also central. The US State Department in Washington said it was about “joint efforts to strengthen NATO’s eastern flank”.
Before his visit to the Kremlin, Macron tuned the violins with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is making his first visit to Biden on Monday. The Ukrainian conflict will also play an important role there.
“We are ready to do whatever it takes” to strengthen the German presence in NATO’s operations in the Baltic countries, Scholz said on German broadcaster ARD on Sunday. Germany is leading a NATO operation in Lithuania, where 500 German soldiers have been deployed.
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Later in the week, the German chancellor will meet with the leaders of the Baltic states in Berlin, and during the month he will travel to Ukraine and Russia.
Scholz, who succeeded Angela Merkel in December, also reiterated on Sunday that Germany is refusing to supply arms to Ukraine. He pointed out that Germany has for years followed the line not to supply weapons in crisis areas.
100,000 Russian soldiers
The West fears that Russia will invade Ukraine, because some 100,000 Russian soldiers are said to be stationed at the border. Russia denies that there are such plans, but does demand security guarantees. For example, it wants Ukraine not to be able to join NATO.
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ANALYSIS. While everyone is looking at Ukraine, Putin is quietly annexing another neighboring country (+)
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