Kremlin ready for Normandy format
Macron wants to show Putin a non-violent way
01/24/2022, 10:11 p.m
France’s President can announce a diplomatic coup: Despite long resistance, Moscow has now agreed to continue discussing the Ukraine crisis in the Normandy format. Macron will show Putin a way of de-escalation, it is said confidently from Paris.
The diplomatic efforts to settle the Ukraine conflict will continue on Wednesday in the so-called Normandy format. A meeting of France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia at the level of political advisors is planned, it was said in the evening from the Elysée Palace in Paris. French head of state Emmanuel Macron will propose “a way of de-escalation” in the Ukraine crisis to his Russian colleague Vladimir Putin in a meeting in the next few days.
The last summit meeting in the Normandy format took place in 2019. Against the background of the current massive Russian troop deployment on the Ukrainian border, European calls for a renewal of these talks became louder again. Critics, however, question the suitability of the format for a lasting settlement of the conflict and argue that greater US involvement in talks with Russia is necessary. The meeting in Paris follows a marathon of diplomatic talks on the Ukraine crisis at various levels, which have so far produced no breakthrough.
EU sees no reason for alarmism
EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell warned against alarmism in the Ukraine conflict: “You have to stay calm and do what is necessary, but avoid a nervous breakdown,” Borrell said in the evening after a video conference between European foreign ministers and US head of department Antony Blinken. From his point of view, there is no new information that justifies an increased fear of an impending attack.
Unlike the US, Great Britain and Australia, the EU states have agreed not to reduce their embassy staff in Ukraine, Borrell said. “There is no need for us to take such precautionary measures,” stressed the Spaniard. The Foreign Representative also said it was not an “evacuation” of the respective embassies in Kiev. Washington, London and Canberra only allowed non-essential personnel to leave the country freely.
The Council of Ministers also discussed sanctions against Moscow should there be an attack on Ukraine. A complete exclusion of Russia from the international banking system Swift is off the table, among other things due to German pressure, as an EU diplomat said. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock had said on the sidelines of the meeting on the sidelines of the meeting that “the hardest stick is not always the smartest sword”. Together with partners such as the USA, the EU must review financial measures in such a way that they have the greatest possible impact.