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Photo: MICHELE TANTUSSI / REUTERS
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has again warned Russia of the consequences of an attack on Ukraine.
At a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in the Berlin Chancellery on Tuesday, Scholz spoke of a very difficult situation along the Ukrainian-Russian border.
"There are many troops stationed there and it is therefore necessary that everything is done to ensure that the situation develops differently than is sometimes feared at the moment," said Scholz.
"We therefore expect Russia to take clear steps to help de-escalate the situation, and we all agree that military aggression would have serious consequences."
With a massive Russian troop deployment near Ukraine, there are fears in the West that the Kremlin may be planning an invasion of the neighboring country.
However, it is also considered possible that fears are only being stirred up in order to persuade the NATO states to make concessions when demands for new security guarantees are made.
Macron
wants to talk to Putin about Ukraine
For his part, Macron wants to press for a de-escalation in the Ukraine conflict in direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The two are scheduled to meet on Friday.
According to French government circles, a de-escalation from the Russian side could take place in various ways.
It would be a good signal, for example, if humanitarian measures were negotiated and the separatists loyal to the Kremlin encouraged to negotiate with Ukraine on the status of Donbass.
At the same time, a reduction in the military presence or a public declaration by the Russian authorities of their intentions could ease the situation.
Last but not least, France could also imagine restraint as a sign of de-escalation, i.e. the absence of hacker attacks.
France and Germany are mediating in the conflict that has been going on since 2014.
However, the peace plan agreed in Minsk in 2015 is on hold.
According to UN estimates, more than 14,000 people have been killed in fighting between Ukrainian government forces and pro-Kremlin separatists in Ukraine's Donbass region.
Boris Johnson
: Germany must make sacrifices over Russian gas
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson called on Germany to reduce its dependence on Russian gas in the conflict.
Foreign Minister Liz Truss had previously called for an end to the controversial Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline between Russia and Germany in the event of an escalation.
One has to respect the fact that Germany is more dependent on Russian gas than Great Britain, Johnson said on Tuesday when asked by a member of the London House of Commons.
"Their sacrifice would be quite great, but we must hope that they make this sacrifice for the sake of peace," said the conservative politician with regard to the Federal Republic.
Germany's role is absolutely crucial.
Canada withdraws families from diplomats
After the USA, Canada has now also announced that it will withdraw relatives of its diplomats from Ukraine. "We have made the decision to temporarily withdraw children of Canadian Embassy employees under the age of 18 and their family members," Canada's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. The ministry cited “the current Russian military deployment and destabilizing activities in and around Ukraine” as the reason.
Earlier on Sunday, Washington ordered the families of US diplomats to leave.
Ukraine called the US move "premature."
This was "exaggerated caution," said the Foreign Ministry in Kiev.
Britain announced on Monday that some of its embassy staff were leaving Ukraine.
The British Embassy should remain open.
The federal government has not yet made a decision on the departure of German diplomats, relatives are free to leave the country.
Kiev claims to have foiled plans by pro-Russian groups
Ahead of the tensions with Russia, Ukraine announced the dissolution of a group it said was planning attacks on key infrastructure in Ukraine on Moscow's orders.
As the Ukrainian domestic secret service SBU announced on Tuesday, the group was dismantled in the course of raids in the north and east of the country.
According to the SBU, the group was "coordinated" by "Russian special services."
The goal was to "destabilize" Ukraine.
Due to a massive Russian troop deployment on the border with Ukraine, the situation between the two neighboring countries is currently extremely tense.
Kiev and the West fear a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow denies the allegations and says it feels threatened by Ukraine and NATO.
asa/dpa/AFP
