Paris and Berlin spoke out on Friday for an intensification of military support ardently demanded by Ukraine in order to be able to repel the Russian invasion, Emmanuel Macron noting that the time was “not for dialogue” on the occasion of the conference. of Munich on safety.
After almost a year of war and tens of thousands of victims on both sides, there is no discernible sign of appeasement on the battle front.
On Friday, the leader of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner said his men had taken the Ukrainian town of Paraskoviïvka, a town which adjoins Bakhmout to the north, the scene of the longest battle in the eastern region of Donbass for a year.
“We must absolutely intensify our support and our effort to help the resistance of the Ukrainian people and army and allow them to carry out the counter-offensive which alone will allow credible negotiations on the conditions chosen by Ukraine”, pleaded the French head of state Emmanuel Macron.
“Today, very clearly, the time is not for dialogue”, recognized the one who has long tried to maintain channels of discussion with President Vladimir Putin, sometimes attracting strong criticism from European countries, Ukraine on your mind.
And at a time when NATO fears an upcoming major Russian offensive, Chancellor Olaf Scholz has called on Western countries that can deliver tanks to Kiev to “really do it”, an unusually critical tone on his part.
After being pressed from all sides to deliver German-made Leopard 2s, it gave the green light at the end of January to deliveries of tanks by Germany but also by other European countries.
However, subsequent talks with NATO partners have so far failed to bring together the necessary manpower to form a full battalion, ie around thirty 2A6 tanks, the most modern.
The French president and the German chancellor repeated that they would support the Ukrainians with the allied nations “as long as necessary”, the Atlantic Alliance fearing a long war of attrition.
Speaking before them via a video link, Volodymyr Zelensky urged to “accelerate” military support for his country.
“We need speed. Speed ??to conclude our agreements, speed of deliveries to strengthen our fight, speed of decisions to limit the Russian potential. There is no other solution than speed because it is from her that life depends”, he hammered.
In this context, “there is no other solution than Ukraine’s victory. No other solution than Ukraine in the European Union. No other solution than Ukraine in the NATO”, launched the Ukrainian head of state, warning that Vladimir Putin could continue his offensive towards other states of the former Soviet bloc.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki also reiterated his country’s support for Ukraine’s rapid accession to the Atlantic Alliance and the EU.
“The sooner the better” if “we don’t want Ukraine to become a buffer conflict zone” between the Russian Federation and the European Union, he warned.
Western countries support Ukraine by sending arms and economic sanctions against Russia.
In this regard, Washington and its allies are preparing the adoption of “a new big package of sanctions” “around February 24, the date of the first anniversary of the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine, Victoria Nuland said Thursday, US Assistant Secretary of State for Political Affairs.
The foreign ministers of the G7 states are due to meet on Saturday on the sidelines of the Security Conference.
The allies have already imposed drastic sanctions on Russia since it unleashed its assault on Ukraine, hitting at the highest levels of the Russian state, as well as its industry, banks and oil sector.
More than 150 government officials are expected for three days at this conference dedicated to international security issues, which takes place every year in Munich.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, US Vice President Kamala Harris, US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who will leave office in the fall, will also be present.
Tensions between the United States and China, exacerbated by the overflight of American soil by a Chinese balloon, should notably be addressed on Saturday.
17/02/2023 20:43:36 – Munich (Allemagne) (AFP) – © 2023 AFP
