The Europeans still hope through dialogue to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin to renounce a possible invasion of Ukraine, but they began on Friday January 14 to prepare "
heavy
" sanctions against Moscow to "
dissuade
him". and to affirm their credibility vis-à-vis their American ally.
Read alsoUkraine: Moscow points out differences with NATO
"
We have a desire to dissuade Russia, a convergence of analysis, a collective determination to act and the desire to make the EU heard
," assured the press the head of French diplomacy Jean-Yves Le Drian, whose the country currently chairs the European Union, during an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers on Thursday and Friday in Brest, western France. “
Sanctions are on the table. The conviction is that the risk of Russian intervention in Ukraine is real and we must be ready to react
,” another minister told AFP. “
We must not take weeks to agree, as was the case with the annexation of Crimea in 2014
“, he underlined.
A further discussion is planned for the official meeting of ministers on January 24 in Brussels, he said.
Russia has massed nearly 100,000 troops, tanks and artillery on Ukraine's borders.
She denies wanting to proceed with a military intervention, but does not convince.
“
Putin is a chess player
,” noted a European leader.
"
He is unpredictable, but now is the right time to act, because if he waits, Ukraine will be stronger
," he said to explain his fears fueled by the multiplication of incidents.
Read alsoCyberattack: EU mobilizes all its resources to help Ukraine
The cyberattack on Friday against several government websites in Ukraine confirmed the apprehensions of Europeans. “
It is extremely worrying. A cyberattack can precede military activities
,” commented Austrian Minister Alexander Schallenberg. "
It's exactly the kind of thing we fear
," added his Swedish counterpart Ann Linde. "
We must be very firm in our response to Russia and say that if there are attacks against Ukraine, we will be very tough, very strong and robust in our response
," she insisted.
The Europeans are still betting on dialogue and diplomacy. German Minister Annalena Baerbock said she was going to Moscow next week for talks “
at all levels
”. “
Diplomacy, especially in times of crisis, is characterized by great perseverance, great patience and strong nerves
,” she commented.
But Moscow showered the good will of the Europeans.
“
I see no reason to come to the table (negotiations) in the next few days, to meet again and start the same discussions again
,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said after the meetings. deep divergences noted during the talks in Geneva with the Americans and during a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council in Brussels.
"
Ask Moscow if it's a bluff
," Jean-Yves le Drian told AFP.
“
Be credible
”
Moscow demands that NATO undertakes in a legal and binding manner to renounce to have Ukraine and Georgia join it, whose candidacies have been accepted by the Alliance and withdraws its soldiers from the countries which have become members since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.
Europeans fear a "
new Yalta
", a bilateral agreement between Washington and Moscow on security in Europe. Their credibility is at stake. Dependent on Russian gas and their economic relations with Russia, they have always been reluctant to follow the United States in the confrontation with this country. In Brest, they never ceased to praise the “
absolutely perfect
” coordination
with the Americans. But they are struggling to follow Washington on its sanctions options for fear of retaliation. Energy, finance, technologies, targeted sanctions against the Russian president: the range proposed by the United States is wide and it divides, especially in Germany, where the use of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline as leverage is refused by the Social Democratic Party of Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Read alsoUkraine: faced with the deadlock, the OSCE advocates an urgent return to dialogue
"
The credibility of the Europeans is at stake on their ability to adopt heavy sanctions
", acknowledged the minister consulted by AFP.
"
What counts is deterrence, it is to be credible about what would be decided if Russia engages in a new intervention in Ukraine
", explained a diplomat involved in the discussions.
"
But what a failure for deterrence if we have to apply them
," said the minister.
It would mean that we failed to avoid a conflict."