Tensions in the world: French President Emmanuel Macron says today (Tuesday) regarding the deployment of Russian forces near the borders of Ukraine that “if there is a military attack, we will respond and the price will be high.”
“All allies are fully united, especially France and Germany, and we are preparing a response to a case of Russian aggression against Ukraine. However, we will never give up on dialogue with Russia,” Macron said, adding that he would speak with Russian President Putin on Friday.
Zvi Magen, the former Israeli ambassador to Russia and Ukraine, spoke today with Gadi Ness on Radio 104.5fm and explained the tensions between the countries: “For several weeks now, they have been in the reality of exchanges of threats, pressure levers and other such unsympathetic international activities,” Magen explained.
He said, “Russia, in order to advance its interests, started with the military threat. By the way, it denies it and claims it is not true and has no intentions, and that it is just an unfounded panic in the West. But in fact, along Ukraine’s borders there is a fairly large Russian army. “It is actually meant to scare the West and make it somewhere to talk and give up. The West of course responds accordingly.”
He added: “Ukraine is not a problem at the moment, it is a playground. Russia’s expectation is ultimately to change world order. It has a demand towards NATO to give up the current deployment and intentions of NATO expansion eastwards, and not to touch the former Soviet Union countries anymore. “.
He said, “The Russian demands are very serious. On the face of it, it seems like an attempt at extortion, and it is clear to the Russians that NATO will not give up on its worldview, its own deployment and interests, but why not threaten? If possible maybe squeeze some minimal concessions. What are minimum concessions? “Maybe on the Crimea, Ukraine, sanctions, maybe they will not forcibly drag Ukraine to NATO for a period of time. That’s the minimum. NATO for its part is not willing to give up anything, but because it is stressed, then it could give Putin something.”
Magen stressed: “At the moment there does not seem to be an intention to go to great war. At the same time the West will give a formal and negative final answer, so the Russians may be able to do some kidnapping, as they have done in the past, take some small territory from Ukraine, try to act subversively within Ukraine “To overthrow the government or undermine stability or moves of this kind, which they were also told to respond to very severely.”