After weeks of diplomatic agitation and troop movements on Ukraine’s borders, Vladimir Putin sent more soothing signals on Tuesday, February 15. Does Russia want war? ” Of course not “, assured the Russian president during a press conference in Moscow with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
→ ANALYSIS. Ukrainian crisis: in Moscow, the Russians prefer to look elsewhere
A turning point, after a year of rising tension and the fear of a Russian armed offensive against Ukraine.
February 21, 2021: Russia sends its first paratroopers to the border
Russia is sending 3,000 paratroopers to its border with Ukraine for “exercises”. For the Time, this decision stems from the legal offensive against Viktor Medvedchuk, who saw his assets seized by the Ukrainian courts. The oligarch is close to Putin – the latter is even the godfather of his daughter – and the leader of the most important pro-Russian party in the country. In March and April, weapons and equipment are brought to the border region from such remote territories as Siberia. From April 22, some soldiers left the area.
November 13: Ukraine’s president sounds the alarm
Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president, announces the presence of 100,000 soldiers on its border with Russia, as well as missiles capable of reaching Kiev.
→ REREAD. Whispers of war in eastern Ukraine
On December 15, Russia announces its conditions for negotiating: the prohibition for NATO to deploy troops in the former Soviet states which are members of the organization, and the promise not to extend to other countries. , including Ukraine. The United States and NATO refuse to give these guarantees.
January 19, 2022: the United States shows its teeth
The tone is rising between the United States and Russia. Joe Biden Says Russia Will Invade Ukraine Any Moment, and Kremlin Ruler Vladimir Putin Will Pay Dearly for a Decision He “will regret”. At the same time, NATO member countries are beefing up their presence in the region: Spain is sending its navy to cross the Black Sea and the United States has decided to send 90 tonnes of weapons to Ukraine.
→ REREAD. Ukraine: Washington warns of a possible Russian attack “at any time”
February 7: Emmanuel Macron in Moscow
Emmanuel Macron travels to Moscow to meet Vladimir Putin. The results are mixed: the French president affirms that his Russian counterpart promised him that there would be no escalation.
However, at the same time, Vladimir Putin adopts a threatening tone to remind NATO that Ukraine’s membership of the organization could lead to a war between Moscow and the West if Kiev decides to recover the Crimea, annexed by Moscow in 2014, by arms.
→ LANDMARKS. The Ukrainian crisis in five dates
The situation becomes even more tense when Jake Sullivan, Joe Biden’s security adviser, claims that the attack “may take place before the end of the Olympics”, maybe the “February 16” and that it would involve a Russian invasion from Belarus to seize Kiev.
February 15, towards relaxation?
The crisis, however, seems to begin to resolve itself less than a week later. On February 15 the Kremlin announces the withdrawal of part of its soldiers from the Russian-Ukrainian border.
→ READ. Ukraine: Russia withdraws its troops, the first sign of a de-escalation?
The same day, during a meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Vladimir Putin declared that he did not want war, and that he was “ready to go on the path of negotiation”, marking the end of several weeks of tension. “It is clear to all Europeans that lasting security cannot be achieved against Russia, but (is) possible only with Russia,” then replies the German Chancellor.