Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday welcomed Russia’s partial troop withdrawal from the Ukrainian border, labelling it a “good sign”, and noted that lasting stability and security in Europe could only be achieved with Russia’s help.
In the first apparent de-escalation in weeks, Moscow on Tuesday announced that some of the more than 100,000 troops and hardware amassed along Ukraine’s border were returning to their bases at the end of planned exercises. Western leaders have accused Moscow of positioning the troops in advance of a possible invasion of pro-Western Ukraine, warning that any attack would be met with severe economic sanctions.
Speaking at a press conference after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Scholz said Russia was a crucial player in maintaining security in Europe and that Russia must remain a partner in ensuring stability on the continent.
"For Europeans it is clear that lasting security cannot be achieved against Russia but only with Russia," he told reporters.
“The diplomatic possibilities are far from being exhausted,” Scholz said. “That we hear now some troops have withdrawn is a good sign, we hope more will follow,” he said, noting that: “It should be possible to find a solution. No matter how difficult and serious the situation seems to be, I refuse to say it is hopeless.”
Nord Stream 2 as leverage
Scholz also said that he was committed to ensuring the transit of gas through Ukraine.
“We are committed to ensuring gas transit in Europe works through Ukraine, Belarus, Poland and Nord Stream 1 according to the agreements we have. And we also want to ensure peaceful development in Europe,” Scholz said.
Scholz reiterated that while he was intent on ensuring that a confrontation did not occur in Ukraine, if that were to happen, there would be consequences.
The controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline, which bypasses Ukraine in bringing Russian energy to Germany, has emerged as a sticking point in Berlin’s relations with Washington and Kyiv. Many observers in Europe are concerned over Germany’s increasing reliance on Russian energy.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has warned that Russia would use the pipeline as leverage. “We have certain disagreements in our assessments” of the Russia-Germany energy link, Zelensky said after talks with Scholz in Kyiv on Monday.
>> Nord Stream 2: Russia-Germany gas pipeline becomes a geopolitical lever
Russia has completed the building of the pipeline, which runs under the Baltic Sea, but German regulators are yet to approve its use.
‘Cautious optimism’
Moscow released few details about the withdrawal of troops, which in the last few days have been estimated at around 130,000, and there was no immediate outside confirmation. The threat of a possible invasion has triggered one of the worst crises in Russia’s relations with the West since the Cold War.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said in Brussels there was not yet “any sign of de-escalation on the ground” but that there were “grounds for cautious optimism”.
Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, said more proof was needed.
“If we see a withdrawal, we will believe in a de-escalation,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba was quoted as saying by Interfax Ukraine.
France also welcomed signals of Russia pulling back some forces but urged Moscow to take more concrete action.
"Words are good; we are waiting for actions. If there is action, that would be even better," Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told parliament.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there were “signs of a diplomatic opening” with Russia, but that intelligence on a possible invasion was “still not encouraging”.
Russia has always denied planning to invade Ukraine, saying it can exercise troops on its own territory as it sees fit. It has been pressing for a set of security guarantees from the West, including a guarantee that Ukraine will never join NATO.
Putin told reporters Russia would not be satisfied with talk that the former Soviet republic was not ready to join any time soon and was demanding that the issue be resolved now.
“As for war in Europe ... about whether we want it or not? Of course not. That is why we put forward proposals for a negotiation process, the result of which should be an agreement on ensuring equal security for everyone, including our country,” he said.
Recognition of break-away regions in Ukraine
In a separate move likely to anger Kyiv, Russian lawmakers on Tuesday voted to urge Putin to recognise two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as “sovereign and independent states”.
This would allow Russia to abandon the Minsk agreements peace plan for eastern Ukraine and potentially move in Russian troops – giving Putin a strong hand to play in any future negotiations with Kyiv.
The European Union “strongly” condemned the move, saying it would violate the Minsk agreements that Moscow had signed up to.
Russia has repeatedly blamed the Ukraine crisis on the West, saying the United States and western Europe are ignoring Russia’s legitimate security concerns.
The Kremlin insists NATO must give assurances Ukraine will never be admitted as a member and roll back its presence in several eastern European and ex-Soviet countries.
Russia already controls the Crimean Peninsula that it seized from Ukraine in 2014 and supports separatist forces who have taken control of parts of eastern Ukraine, in a conflict that has claimed more than 14,000 lives.
(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and REUTERS)
