French President Emmanuel Macron will hold meetings in France and Ukraine, as part of the European effort to prevent Russia from invading its neighbor, it was reported today (Friday). Macron will begin his visit to Russia, where he will arrive next Monday, and a day later will arrive in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Russian embassy in Washington has rejected US and NATO alliances’ accusations against the country and reiterated its demand not to include Kiev in the defense alliance.
In Russia, they attacked the Americans and claimed that the US accusations that Russia would direct a film that would present a Ukrainian attack on its forces, in order to launch an invasion. In Russia, they claimed that these were “embarrassing accusations. Instead of focusing on our concerns and their essence, “the US has chosen to engage in conspiracies.”
Macron’s announcement comes amid further reports of increased tensions between Russia and Ukraine. This morning it was reported that the court in Russia sent to 12 years in prison a Ukrainian spy caught in Crimea by the Russian security service. As mentioned, the French president will meet with Vladimir Putin on February 7, and the next day with Vladimir Zlansky in Kiev.
In addition, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Lane, announced that the EU had finished preparing the list of “strong and comprehensive” sanctions that would be imposed on Russia if it continued to operate on the Ukrainian border. According to her, the sanctions will be economic and will include export controls, mainly technical products. She added that as part of the sanctions, the EU will not hesitate to hit the pocket of Russian President Vladimir Putin and oligarchs close to him.
- “One of the policemen can be broken”: Are we on the way to an earthquake in the Netanyahu trial?