Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called on the country’s people to remain calm despite the threat of Russia invading the country. In a televised address, Zelensky said on Tuesday that the withdrawal of embassy personnel by the United States and the United Kingdom, among others, is no reason to believe that military escalation with Russia is “inevitable”, international news agencies report. Zelensky said he had no “childish illusions” about the Russian threat. Russia has stationed about a hundred thousand soldiers on the border with the Eastern European country.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron continue to hope for a diplomatic solution to the situation on the Ukrainian border. “We expect clear steps from Russia to de-escalate the situation,” Scholz said. Macron emphasized that military action by Russia will come with “retaliation” and that “the price for Russia will be high.”
US President Joe Biden also said on Tuesday that Russia could expect “serious economic consequences,” including “personal sanctions” in the event of an invasion of Ukraine. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson urged the preparation of “strong measures”, though he also called for “care”. According to Johnson, the United Kingdom and other NATO member states should not give Russia any justification for entering Ukraine. Russia itself denies having that intention.
Gas shortages
The Netherlands wants to be prepared for a possible gas shortage, should Russia decide to shut down the gas supply due to the situation surrounding Ukraine. According to Minister Rob Jetten (D66, Climate and Energy), scenarios must be ready for this, he said in the House of Representatives on Tuesday. Jetten will, among other things, enter into discussions with large consumers of gas. He emphasized that extra gas extraction from the Groningen field must be prevented “at all costs”.
In Germany, director Markus Krebber of energy producer RWE called in the Frankfurter Allgemeine to build up a national gas reserve, in view of a possible disruption of the Russian gas supply. The Guardian writes that the United States wants to send extra gas to Europe, if Russia turns off the gas tap. The plans for this would be almost complete.
Reinforcements
The United States has 8,500 military personnel ready to travel to Eastern Europe, international news agencies reported. US President Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the US has no plans to become militarily active in Ukraine itself. Other NATO member states have also put soldiers on alert, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday. In addition, they are sending more naval ships and combat aircraft to the region. According to the Kremlin, the reinforcements are “hysterical” and “based on lies”.
The US and the UK announced on Monday that they will be recalling family members of embassy employees and some of the staff from Ukraine as a precaution. They did this because it would be impossible to evacuate them quickly if the situation in Ukraine escalates. Canada also announced on Tuesday that it would fly back underage children of embassy staff. EU countries are not yet doing this, according to EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell, because there would be no reason to do so for the time being.