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Annalena Baerbock calls on Russia to return to the negotiating table
Photo: OMER MESSINGER / AFP
Russia apparently continues to gather troops near Ukraine.
There are now tens of thousands of soldiers in camps in southwest Russia, and an invasion of the neighboring country seems possible.
Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has underlined her concern about the Russian troop movements.
"Yes, I am very worried," said the Green politician after a conversation with her Luxembourg counterpart Jean Asselborn in Berlin.
It is of the utmost importance that Russia return to the negotiating table.
It is clear that "we can only resolve this major crisis through dialogue," said Baerbock.
The proposals and demands made by Russia could not be the basis for a solution.
But that is precisely why "we have to talk to each other".
Asselborn: No one "wants" economic sanctions and military operations
Asselborn also spoke out in favor of greater efforts to establish a "structured dialogue" between the European states and Moscow.
It must be possible to "replace this military behavior with a civilized dialogue."
Economic sanctions and military operations "nobody wants," he added.
The tensions between Russia and the West over the Ukraine conflict had recently intensified significantly.
Given the massive deployment of Russian troops, there are fears that Moscow might attack Ukraine.
The Kremlin rejects this and accuses Ukraine of provocations.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has also accused the West of adopting a "clearly aggressive stance" and threatened a "military-technical" reaction. Last week, in order to ease tension, Moscow demanded that NATO formally rule out further eastward expansion and that the USA refrain from setting up US military bases in states of the former Soviet sphere of influence. NATO and Washington rejected this.
In view of the Russian march, NATO's top commander for Europe, US General Tod D. Wolters, recently called for reinforcements of its own troops on the Alliance's eastern border.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced on Tuesday that he would convene a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council at the beginning of next year.
At first, however, it remained unclear whether Moscow was even ready for new consultations in the dialogue format.
svs / AFP / dpa
