Tensions continue to rise between Washington and Moscow.
Russia denounced on Tuesday the alert of thousands of American troops because of the Russian-Western crisis over Ukraine, seeing it as a new "exacerbation of tensions" by Washington.
It is with great concern that we see these American actions,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
Westerners accuse Moscow of having deployed more than 100,000 soldiers on the border of its pro-Western neighbor, Ukraine.
The goal ?
To dissuade from joining NATO and to obtain the signature of treaties preventing the enlargement of NATO.
In response, the United States multiplied warnings and alerts on the risks of invasions, which Moscow denies.
For the first time Monday, the United States mobilized its military forces, placing 8,500 men on alert, ready to reinforce at any time the rapid reaction force of the military alliance, made up of 40,000 soldiers.
With these troop movements, Joe Biden is heightening the pressure on the Kremlin to a new level.
So far, the United States has stuck to statements.
This Monday they promised very heavy consequences “in the event of Moscow's aggression against Ukraine.
This statement is supported by several European countries, while the old continent has so far been less threatening.
Excessive calls for de-escalation
The participants "were all of the opinion that it is up to Russia to undertake visible de-escalation initiatives" in this conflict, said the spokesman for the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, after a videoconference. with the leaders of the United States, France, Great Britain, Italy and Poland.
The Europeans had previously seemed wary of the increasingly tough rhetoric and decisions of the United States, which for example decided to remove the families of diplomats stationed in Kiev, an initiative followed by London and Canberra.
Read alsoHesitation, diplomacy, firmness... the European cacophony in the face of the situation in Ukraine
France, which currently assumes command of NATO's rapid reaction force, called for "not to create ambiguity, additional volatility".
The head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, invited him not to "dramatize".
As a sign of the American escalation, the Ukrainian authorities have also deemed Washington's decision concerning their diplomatic representation "premature" and "excessive".
On Tuesday, Ukraine announced that it had dismantled a group preparing attacks on behalf of Moscow.
"The gang's organizers were preparing a series of armed attacks against infrastructure," the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) said in a statement, saying the group "was coordinated" by "Russian special services."
Alongside this rise in pressure, Westerners continue despite everything to explore the diplomatic path.
According to a European source, a new meeting would thus be planned between Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
The United States is due to deliver a written response to the Russian demands this week.
As for France, Emmanuel Macron wants to propose "a path of de-escalation" to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during an interview "in the coming days".