Ukraine conflict: Foreign Minister Baerbock talks about heated visit to Moscow - "We argued"

Created: 01/22/2022, 06:35

By: Patrick Mayer, Bedrettin Bölükbasi, Cindy Boden

The United States and Russia are blaming each other over the Ukraine crisis.

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock gives details from her talks in Moscow.

The news ticker.

• Ukraine conflict in the news ticker:

  The fronts between the USA and Russia have hardened.

• Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock* talks about heated talks in Russia*

  (see update from January 21, 7:25 p.m.).

• Germany is to block the delivery of defensive arms from Estonia to Ukraine.

  (see update from January 21, 10:16 p.m.)

  .

• This

  news ticker on the Ukraine crisis

  is constantly updated.

Update from January 21, 10:36 p.m .:

While Germany has rejected arms exports to Ukraine, the Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, has called for Russia to be excluded from the Swift payment system.

"Ukrainians are therefore calling on the Ampel government to put aside all concerns and decouple Russia from Swift," Melnyk told Funke media group newspapers.

This harsh punitive measure must "remain in the toolbox of hellish sanctions as an efficient deterrent against Putin".

If banks can no longer use the international banking communication network Swift, this can have far-reaching consequences for their business.

Because the institutes are then virtually excluded from international money flows.

Transferring money from abroad to a country then becomes more difficult, and vice versa.

A possible exclusion of Russia from Swift is being discussed intensively as a sanction against the country in the tense Ukraine conflict.

Ukraine conflict: Germany blocks arms deliveries to Ukraine

Update January 21, 10:16 p.m.:

The Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania will supply US-made anti-tank missiles and anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine in the face of a possible threat from Russia. This was announced by the defense ministries of the three EU and NATO member states in a joint statement on Friday evening. The United States agreed to the delivery of US-made weapons to Ukraine. 

However, Germany probably rejected one of the programs.

The planned shipment from Estonia also includes ex-GDR weapons - so-called 122mm howitzers, reports The

.

At the same time, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Russian colleague Sergei Lavrov today agreed to continue diplomatic efforts in the Ukraine crisis.

Ukraine conflict: Foreign Minister Baerbock talks about heated visit to Moscow - "We argued"

Update from January 21, 7:25 p.m .:

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (The Greens) spoke in detail in an interview with the

(behind a payment barrier) about her visit to Moscow with a view to the Ukraine conflict. Baerbock had met her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in the Russian metropolis.

“Dialogue is the only way out of this crisis. We talked to each other for several hours and sometimes argued. I made it very clear that we can only ensure security in Europe together," said the Green politician in an interview with the

: "The foundation for this is the sovereignty of each individual state, the renunciation of the threat of violence. At the same time, it is important to me that Germany and Russia are not only very closely linked historically, but also culturally and with a view to the exchange of hundreds of thousands of people.”

The 41-year-old said her responsibility as Foreign Minister was to work in the interests of the citizens of our two countries to live together in peace and security in the common house of Europe, which also includes Russia." However, Baerbock also reiterated: “Every state has the right to self-defense, including Ukraine. And if other states are willing to supply weapons for defense, it is not for us to criticize that. But I don't think it's realistic to reverse the military imbalance with such supplies. The best protection is that there will be no further aggression.”

Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) also commented on the Ukraine conflict this Friday.

Every military action has consequences, explained the German head of government and said: "Everything must be done to prevent such a military intervention."

Meeting on the Ukraine conflict: Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (The Greens) and her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow.

© IMAGO / SNA

Ukraine conflict: Russia is apparently moving more military material towards the border

Update from January 21, 7:05 p.m .:

What’s next in the Ukraine conflict. The fronts between Ukraine, the West and the USA on the one hand and between Russia on the other are seen as hardened. "Russia now faces a choice: will it go the diplomatic route or the route of conflict," said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken today after a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Geneva, Switzerland.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry released videos of heavy military hardware being loaded for an alleged exercise in February.

The reports the ZDF.

The alleged exercise is said to take place in Belarus, right on the border with Ukraine.

Videos of alleged Russian troop transports in the direction of the Ukrainian border can also be seen again and again on social media.

For example, a video is currently circulating on Twitter that is supposed to be up-to-date and shows the transport of so-called Buk air defense systems.

Ukraine conflict: US warns Russia against invasion

Update from January 21, 2 p.m.:

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken again warned Moscow against an invasion of Ukraine after the crisis talks with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov. "I have conveyed the position of the United States and our European allies and partners that we stand firmly with Ukraine and support its sovereignty and territorial integrity," Blinken said Friday in Geneva, Switzerland.

“We have made it clear that if any Russian forces move across Ukraine's border, it will be a re-invasion.

The United States and our partners and allies will respond swiftly, forcefully, and with combined strength.” Blinken said the conversation with Lavrov was “frank and substantive.” 

Ukraine conflict: Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov - Russia threatens nobody

Update from January 21, 1:50 p.m .:

After his meeting with his US colleague Antony Blinken, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on the West to end the “anti-Russian hysteria” in the Ukraine conflict. Russia does not threaten anyone and does not invade any country, Lavrov said at a press conference in Geneva on Friday. He dismissed Western fears that an invasion of Ukraine was imminent. Russia expects a written response from the US to its proposals on security guarantees next week, Lavrov said. After that there should be further talks at the level of the foreign ministers.

Russia sees its security threatened by NATO and is demanding an end to the eastward expansion of the alliance.

Lavrov criticized that a "Russophobic minority" set the tone.

The minister stressed that the security of one country in Europe cannot be guaranteed to the detriment of another country.

This principle is preserved in the documents of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

He asked Blinken to comment on how the United States wanted to comply with this principle.

Vladimir Putin (r), President of Russia, and Sergey Lavrov, Foreign Minister of Russia, take part in the Libya conference in the Federal Chancellery.

© Hannibal Hanschke/dpa

Ukraine conflict: USA sees "high risk of escalation" - but Lavrov is now making promises

Update from January 21, 1:40 p.m .:

In search of a diplomatic way out of the Ukraine crisis, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met his Russian colleague Sergei Lavrov in Geneva. Blinken reiterated his warning at Friday's meeting that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would entail a "collective, swift and serious" response, he said. According to Lavrov, Blinken promised Russia a written response to Russia's demand for "security guarantees" by next week.

After the meeting at the President Wilson luxury hotel on Lake Geneva, Lavrov spoke of an “open” exchange. Both sides agree on the need for a "reasonable dialogue". He hopes that "tempers will now calm down," said the Russian Foreign Minister. He had agreed with Blinken "that written answers to our proposals would be presented to us by next week," he said, referring to a far-reaching catalog of Russian demands on Washington and its allies.

Update from January 21, 1 p.m.:

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US colleague Antony Blinken ended their crisis talks on the Ukraine conflict on Friday in Geneva earlier than planned. The meeting lasted about an hour and a half, shorter than the scheduled two hours, according to Russian news agencies. The two chief diplomats greeted each other with a handshake around 11 a.m. in a hotel on Lake Geneva. At the start, both made it clear that they did not expect a breakthrough in the talks. Blinken and Lavrov had announced separate press conferences on the talks.

Update from January 21, 11:30 a.m.:

The US and Russian foreign ministers, Antony Blinken and Sergey Lavrov, met in Geneva for talks about the Ukraine crisis. Russia does not expect "a breakthrough" from the meeting, Lavrov said at the start on Friday. Blinken reiterated its warning against a Russian invasion of Ukraine: it would entail a "collective, swift and serious" response, he said. At the same time, the US Secretary of State emphasized that the US was continuing to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Update from January 21, 9.40 a.m .:

Against the background of increasing tensions in the Ukraine conflict, Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) called British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Thursday evening. As government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit announced on Friday, the focus of the conversation was "concerns about the increase in Russian troops along the border with Ukraine". Scholz and Johnson agree that further Russian military aggression against Ukraine must be averted.

In addition, it must be clear that Russia would have to reckon with considerable and serious costs in such a case, Hebestreit explained.

The West has been threatening Moscow with massive sanctions for weeks if the Russian army attacks Ukraine.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently in Europe looking for a diplomatic way out of the crisis.

This Friday he will meet his Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov in Geneva.

Ukraine conflict: Baerbock threatens Russia with “serious consequences” – Blinken sees “high risk”

Update from January 21, 7:20 a.m .:

Before the crisis meeting with his Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned of the risk of further escalation in the Ukraine conflict.

When asked how big he assessed the risk of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, Blinken said on Thursday evening on ZDF's "heute journal" after a translation by the broadcaster: "It's a real risk and it's a high risk." Blinken hits together with Lavrov this Friday in Geneva.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Lavrov wanted to blink in detail and go through Moscow's demands on NATO and the US for security guarantees for Russia.

A written response from the US side with comments on the individual points of the Russian document is expected soon.

Referring to the security guarantees demanded by Russia, Blinken said: "We have already made concessions.

Not just in the past few weeks, but over many years.

For many years, NATO has repeatedly reached out.” He does not expect “any major breakthroughs” from the meeting.

But it is an important moment to take stock.

Ukraine conflict: Biden clarifies statement

Update from January 20, 6:30 p.m .:

After irritation about his statements about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, US President Joe Biden made it clear that every border crossing by Russian troops into Ukraine should be considered an invasion.

The Democrat said in Washington: "Any assembled Russian unit that moves across the Ukrainian border - that is an invasion." Biden emphasized that Russia would pay a "heavy price" if it invaded.

In addition, Donald Trump's successor stated: "Russia has a long history of using measures other than overt military action to carry out aggression." Therefore: "We must be prepared to react to these as well."

US sanctions four current and former Ukrainian officials

Update January 20, 5:15 p.m .:

The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on a total of four current and former Ukrainian officials for their “participation in Russian activities to destabilize Ukraine”.

According to a written press release from the ministry, those sanctioned include MPs Taras Kozak and Oleh Voloshyn, and former officials Volodymyr Oliynyk and Vladimir Sivkovich. These four individuals would be under the orders of Russia's FSB secret service and would play a role "in Russian campaigns to destabilize sovereign states," the finance ministry said. Accordingly, Kozak controls various news channels in Ukraine and supports the FSB's plans to denigrate the inner circle of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj.

"Russian intelligence agencies, including the FSB, are recruiting key Ukrainian citizens to gain access to sensitive information, threaten Ukraine's sovereignty, and then use those Ukrainian officials to create instability in the run-up to a Russian invasion," it said in the statement from the Ministry of Finance.

Update from January 20, 4:50 p.m .:

Amid high tensions in the Ukraine conflict, Russia’s army now wants to hold large-scale maneuvers in the Mediterranean, the Atlantic and the North Sea in the next few weeks. More than 140 warships were involved, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow said, according to the Interfax agency. More than 10,000 soldiers will therefore be sent to the various exercises that are planned until the end of February. In addition, more than 60 aircraft are in use. "The exercises extend to the seas bordering Russian territory and to operationally important areas of the world's oceans," the ministry said.

In addition to the North Sea, the Sea of ​​Okhotsk in the Arctic and northern areas of the Atlantic were also mentioned. Details were not initially given. The aim is training to protect Russia's national interests in the world's oceans and to ward off military threats, it said. A maneuver has already begun with China and Iran in the Gulf of Oman south of Iran. According to information from Moscow, this exercise should last until next Saturday.

Update from January 20, 4:10 p.m .:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj commented on US President Joe Biden’s distinction between a “minor incursion” by Russian troops into Ukraine and a full-scale invasion. "We want to remind the great powers that there are no small incursions or small nations," Zelenskyy wrote on Twitter. In addition, there are "no small losses and little suffering due to the loss of loved ones," said the Ukrainian head of state. "I say this as the President of a great power," he wrote, along with the Ukrainian flag at the end of his message.

"It's one thing if it's a minor intrusion," Biden said earlier, shocking Ukrainian officials in particular.

A representative told the broadcaster

that this was a “green light to enter Ukraine at will”.

Ukraine conflict: Blinken warns Russia of 'quick and massive consequences'

Update from January 20, 3:20 p.m.:

"While we continue to follow this diplomatic path, we also make it clear that should Russia choose the path of further aggression, we will initiate swift and massive consequences," Blinken warns. There is also agreement on this, according to the US Secretary of State. Here he refers to the statement by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who also spoke of the consequences of an attack on Ukraine. The US will continue to consider the interests of European partners and allies like Germany.

Blinken also brought up Nord Stream 2.

He and Annalena Baerbock again underlined the close cooperation regarding Ukraine's energy security.

In addition, it was also confirmed that they wanted to prevent Russia from using energy as a weapon.

"We also have to note that no gas is flowing through Nord Stream 2 yet, which means that the pipeline is a lever for Germany, the US and our European partners, but not for Russia," Blinken points out.

Update from January 20, 3:10 p.m.:

After Baerbock, her American counterpart Anthony Blinken is now speaking. At meetings with Russia, the common goal of Germany and the United States was to find a diplomatic way to de-escalate tensions. These occurred due to the accumulation of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine. In addition, the aim was to deal not with aggression but through dialogue with "legitimate security concerns" of Russia, the US and Europe. "In the meetings over the last few weeks, we have been firm on our principles and clear on the areas where we can make progress with Russia should Russia get involved," Blinken said. Discussions with Moscow were "honest and direct". In addition, they would have given the US, their ally,but also given Russia food for thought.

Update from January 20, 2:55 p.m .:

Even if measures against Russia “sometimes only mean millimeter steps of movement”, they will be enforced together because they would lead to more security, Baerbock said at the press conference with Blinken. The NATO Secretary General had invited further meetings of the NATO-Russia Council, said Baerbock. "Yes, it's all tough," admits the Foreign Minister. But after two years of speechlessness, these developments are "a good and important signal that there are further talks now". Baerbock draws attention to the Normandy format again. It is one of the four important strands of dialogue these days, which is why she and her French counterpart Le Drian will continue to fill this format with life.

Annalena Baerbock, Federal Foreign Minister, and Antony Blinken, Foreign Minister of the United States of America, at a joint press conference in Berlin on January 20, 2022.

© Florian Gaertner / Imago

Update from January 20, 2:45 p.m .:

The press conference between Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and her American counterpart Anthony Blinken has begun.

First, Baerbock takes the floor and comments on the meeting.

This week made it clear "that both the talk diplomacy on the subject of Russia and Ukraine and the coordination between us could not be more intensive".

This was finally agreed at the meeting in Washington DC.

Today's meeting was used "as partners and friends to take stock and to discuss the next steps and to jointly determine our positions here," explains Baerbock. There is agreement that the only way out of the crisis is the political way, which only leads through dialogue. However, Russian behavior continues to speak “a different language”. "Activities of concern" would increase. Here, the Foreign Minister cites the Russian troop transfer to Belarus as an example.

“We urge Russia to take de-escalation steps.

Any further aggressive attitude, any further aggressiveness would have serious consequences,” Baerbock clarifies again.

This is about preserving the European peace order: "That's why we have no choice but to stand up for them and protect them with a protective shield."

This also applies if these measures have economic consequences.

Ukraine conflict: Biden causes huge irritation when Putin warns - Navalny makes him look ridiculous

Update from January 20, 1:25 p.m .:

In view of the increasing tensions in the Ukraine conflict, the United States has approved the delivery of US-made weapons for Ukraine at the request of the Baltic States. The United States wants to "accelerate the approved transfers of military equipment from the United States by other allies," said a representative of the US State Department in Berlin, where chief diplomat Antony Blinken discussed the Ukraine crisis with his European colleagues.

"European allies have what they need to provide additional security assistance to Ukraine in the coming days and weeks," the official said. The approval comes at the urgent request of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, AFP news agency learned from another source familiar with the incident. The scope and type of weapons involved was not disclosed. Among other things, the Baltic States have man-portable anti-aircraft missiles of the Javelin type, which can destroy tanks.

Lithuania's Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas confirmed planned arms deliveries to Ukraine when asked by AFP. "We have decided to send weapons and other supplies, but I cannot give details," he said. The move aims to "deter" Russia from a possible invasion and shows Lithuania's "continued support" for Kiev.

Update from January 20, 1:15 p.m .:

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has warned Russia of a miscalculation in the Ukraine conflict. For Russia, economic relations with the EU are "much more important" than vice versa, emphasized von der Leyen at an online event of the World Economic Forum (WEF). "Should the situation deteriorate and should there be further attacks on Ukraine's territorial integrity, we will respond with massive economic and financial sanctions," said the head of the EU Commission.

The EU is "by far Russia's most important trading partner" and also the "biggest investor" in the country, emphasized von der Leyen. “And yes, this trade relationship is important to us. But it is much more important for Russia," von der Leyen said, adding: "We hope there will be no attack," von der Leyen emphasized. "But if that happens, we're prepared."

Update from January 20, 11:30

a.m .: The Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, who was imprisoned in Russia, warned the West in the course of the Ukraine conflict of a “trap” by the Russian ruler Vladimir Putin. “The West keeps falling into these elementary traps set by Putin. He makes crazy, ridiculous demands like his latest and how he and Biden must sit in a smoke-filled room deciding the fate of Europe as if we were in 1944. And if the US doesn't agree, he will do something," the opposition activist wrote in a letter to

magazine.

“Rather than ignore this nonsense, the US accepts Putin's agenda and rushes off to organize a few meetings.

Just like a frightened schoolboy being bullied by a high school student,” Navalny criticized the actions of the United States.

In Navalny's opinion, Kremlin chief Putin fears not so much NATO in front of Russia's borders, but rather a change of power.

"In order to consolidate the country and the elites, Putin constantly needs all these extreme measures, all these wars - real, virtual, hybrid or just confrontations on the brink of war." Navalny opined that linking the threat of Western sanctions in the event of a invasion of Ukraine is part of Putin's strategy to avoid being the target of personal punitive measures.

He suggested,

Update January 20, 9:30 am:

The Russian delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) warned the West not to accept Russia's proposals regarding security guarantees. "There will come a moment of truth when the West will either accept our proposals or we will find other ways to guarantee Russia's security," head of the Russian delegation Konstantin Gavrilov told the Russian state news agency

reported.

He is sure that with good will and compromises in every situation it is possible to find a solution acceptable to all parties. However, the time window for this is getting smaller and smaller. "The countdown has started," underscored the Russian diplomat at the OSCE.

Update from January 20, 9:20 a.m .:

The Russian Foreign Ministry commented on US President Joe Biden’s press conference and also attacked the questions asked by journalists.

This would of "criminal negligence" equal, said the spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharowa how the Russian state news agency

reported.

“It's amazing how American journalists at Biden's press conference talk about a Russian attack on Ukraine with all certainty, but pretend they've never heard about NATO expansion, or about the provocations of the Kiev regime, or about Washington's support ' the spokeswoman said, adding, 'I think this is criminal negligence.'

Zakharova also commented on the delivery of British anti-tank missiles to Ukraine. "For several days, Britain has been delivering arms to Ukraine using military transport aircraft from its own air force," the diplomat said. At least six such flights totaling 460 tons of weapons have been registered, she claimed, urging the West again to halt supplies to Ukraine.

Update from January 20, 9:15 a.m .:

According to the Russian ambassador in Berlin, the deployment of Russian troops near Ukraine is a reaction to western arms deliveries to Kiev. Sergei Nechayev told the

: "We are reacting to the fact that Ukraine is being saturated with weapons by our Western interlocutors." He added that this is Russia's "absolute right". "It's not a threat, it's a normal situation."

There are also a lot of Ukrainian military exercises near the border.

In Romania and Poland, NATO is installing missile systems that threaten Russia.

"These weapons are interpreted by the West as defensive systems, but they can be turned into offensive systems very quickly," Nechayev told the newspaper.

President Vladimir Putin has made it clear several times that these missiles only need a few minutes to fly to the most important centers in Russia.

"We need firm guarantees for our security, anchored on paper in international law," said the ambassador.

Ukraine conflict: Biden wants to issue a clear warning to Putin - but causes a stir: "disaster"

Erstmeldung: Kiew/Moskau - Wie genau meint er das? US-Präsident Joe Biden sorgte mit Äußerungen zu einem möglichen russischen Einmarsch in die Ukraine für Irritationen. Der US-Demokrat schien bei einer Pressekonferenz im Weißen Haus am Mittwoch (Ortszeit) anzudeuten, dass angedrohte Sanktionen der Nato vom Ausmaß eines potenziellen russischen Einmarschs abhängen könnten.

„Es ist eine Sache, wenn es sich um ein geringfügiges Eindringen handelt“, sagte Biden. „Aber wenn sie tatsächlich das tun, wozu sie mit den an der Grenze zusammengezogenen Streitkräften in der Lage sind, dann wird das für Russland eine Katastrophe werden.“

Ukraine-Konflikt: Ukraine „schockiert“ über Biden-Aussage

Der US-Sender CNN zitierte einen ungenannten ukrainischen Regierungsvertreter mit den Worten, er sei „schockiert, dass US-Präsident Biden zwischen Eindringen und Einmarsch unterscheidet“. Das gebe dem russischen Präsidenten Wladimir Putin* „grünes Licht, nach Belieben in die Ukraine einzudringen“. Der republikanische Senator Lindsey Graham zeigt sich „fassungslos“ über die Äußerung Bidens. Der US-Präsident hatte bei einer Pressekonferenz zu seinem ersten Jahr im Amt* Fragen von Journalisten beantwortet.

Die Sprecherin des Weißen Hauses, Jen Psaki, bemühte sich kurz nach Bidens Auftritt um Klarstellung. „Präsident Biden hat sich gegenüber dem russischen Präsidenten klar geäußert: Wenn sich russische Streitkräfte über die ukrainische Grenze bewegen, ist das eine erneute Invasion, und darauf werden die Vereinigten Staaten und unsere Verbündeten schnell, hart und geschlossen reagieren“, teilte Psaki mit. Der US-Präsident wisse aber, dass Russland „über ein umfangreiches Instrumentarium für Aggressionen“ unterhalb der Schwelle militärischer Aktionen verfüge - beispielsweise Cyberangriffe und paramilitärische Taktiken. Biden habe bekräftigt, dass auch solche Aggressionen der Russen „mit einer entschlossenen, gegenseitigen und gemeinsamen Antwort beantwortet werden“.

Biden spokeswoman must clarify statement on Ukraine conflict - "No child's play for Russia"

President of the United States Joe Biden speaks during a press conference in the East Room of the White House.

© Susan Walsh/dpa

Biden, citing tough sanctions threatened by the US and its allies, said an invasion would not be "easy" for Russia.

Militarily, Russia has an "overwhelming superiority" over Ukraine.

"But if they do, they will pay a heavy price.

Immediate, short-term, medium-term and long-term.” He suspected that Russian soldiers would invade Ukraine, but did not believe that Putin wanted “a full-fledged war”.

Putin wants to put the West to the test, but underestimates the consequences.

For months, the United States and NATO have accused Russia of planning an attack on Ukraine.

Russia denies this every day.

Above all, Russia wants to use the deployment near Ukraine to create a threatening backdrop because it says it sees itself increasingly threatened by NATO expansion.

Moscow is demanding binding security guarantees from the West.