Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said today during a camera favor meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin that he was asking for more time to try and negotiate the country’s security concerns with Western countries. Things have made headlines in the international media, following closely what is happening in Russia, following American estimates that the country will invade Ukraine in the coming days. In a separate meeting with Russian Defense Minister Putin was informed that the military exercises currently underway in Belarus, the Black Sea and on Russian soil are expected to be completed as planned.
Talks in front of the cameras took place during another day in which the parties warned of an escalation of the confrontation. The Americans detailed that Russia was sending more and more forces towards Ukraine, while the Russians threatened that any “Ukrainian provocation” that included an attack on the pro-Russian enclaves of Luhansk and Donetsk could serve as a pretext for war to “protect their inhabitants.” “We will not invade Ukraine unless there are provocations that will cause us to do so,” Russia’s ambassador to the EU told the Guardian. The British Foreign Secretary said that a Russian attack on Ukraine could take place “at any moment”.
Across the border, German Chancellor Olaf Schultz visited the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, and reiterated his commitment to solidarity with the country. “Ukraine’s borders and sovereignty are indisputable,” said Schultz, who will fly tomorrow for his first visit to Moscow in his new role, and will meet with Putin. Germany refuses to deliver anti-tank weapons that Ukraine requires, and Schultz stressed the economic aid the country is extending to Ukraine. He promised to immediately transfer another 150 million euros to the country.
During a post-meeting press conference, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zalansky criticized the media’s demands for Ukraine’s commitment not to formally join NATO. The country is determined to “stay on the path we have chosen,” which includes a future accession to NATO.