"It appears that the risk of war in the OSCE area is now greater than ever in the past 30 years." This was the alarm raised in Vienna by Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, in his inauguration speech of the Polish presidency of the Permanent Council of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. "For several weeks we have been facing the risk of a sharp escalation in Eastern Europe. We must work immediately on security guarantees for the region," added Rau, deploring the return of the rhetoric of the "spheres of influence". According to Rau, the OSCE, a multilateral security forum made up of 57 states and born during the cold war, "is the right platform for discussing global security from Vancouver to Vladivostok and can help mitigate existing disputes. "
Borrell, no negotiations under pressure from Russia
- There will be no negotiations on Ukraine under military pressure from Russia: said EU diplomacy chief Josep Borrell, speaking this morning in Brest, France, where a meeting is being held today. informal meeting with EU defense ministers, largely devoted to the threat of a new conflict in Ukraine. "There should be no negotiations under pressure" - he said - adding that "the Russian movements are part of the pressure". "We have been assured that nothing will be decided or negotiated without the Europeans and the coordination with the Americans is absolutely perfect," said Borrell.
Moscow, US sanctions against Putin comparable to breaking relations
- The possible introduction of US sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin would be "a measure beyond all limits, comparable to breaking relations": Putin's spokesman Dmitri Peskov said this. taken from the Tass.
"Introducing sanctions against a head of state and against the leader of Russia, I repeat again, is a measure beyond all limits, comparable to the breakdown of relations": Peskov said according to Tass.