New York – Energy is important, but the security of Europe as a whole is at stake in Ukraine, which must take precedence. This is the message sent by the US to Italy and to all allies of the Old Continent dependent on Russian oil and gas. It was handed over by the Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland, during a virtual round table in which he answered questions from a group of European journalists, including Republic.
“Our governments – Nuland began – are worried about the massing of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine, and what we see in terms of intentions. So the G7 meeting over the weekend sent a strong message, in agreement with what President Biden had delivered to Putin during the phone call on December 7: it is necessary to implement a de-escalation, pursue any concerns related to Ukraine or NATO through diplomatic channels, maintain the commitment to transparency in military activities , return seriously to the table in the Normandy format led by France and Germany for the conflict in Donbass and remind Russia that any use of force to change borders is prohibited by international law. Moscow must have no doubt that any further aggression against Ukraine will have massive consequences and severe costs.
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The stakes are enormous: the sovereignty and territorial integrity of a nation, the right of NATO to make its own decisions, and the entire European security architecture. The rules of the international system are at stake, according to which a country does not change its borders and does not dictate to others the choices to be made. We are open to appropriate consultations in the NATO, OSCE format, or in the strategic dialogue between the US and Russia on arms control. But it must be clear that if Moscow does not choose détente and proceeds with further aggression, there will be severe consequences. We work to ensure that we are united and ready if that sad day happens. “
Is there the possibility of an appeasement, perhaps by putting pressure on Ukraine to fully implement the Minsk agreement?
“It is clear that at this moment it is Russia that is blocking a serious conversation about its obligations and those of Ukraine relating to Minsk, according to which military forces must be withdrawn, a special status must be assigned to the Donbass on the basis of the Ukrainian Constitution, elections must be held, and the return of sovereignty guaranteed. This requires Minsk, according to the Normandy Format. We have said that if a parallel US effort can be useful, we would be happy to support it. It is not an appeasement, but to create the sequence to apply the agreement in a safe and reasonable way, and hand over the Donbass to Ukraine. France and Germany proposed a summit on Minsk: Ukraine was available, Russia was not. They suggested a ministerial: Ukraine said yes, the Russia no “.
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What do you expect from allies like Italy, which largely depend on Russian gas?
“We work together on a profound and meaningful response if Russia chooses the path of aggression. It will mainly concern the economic and financial sector, and we are building this package together. We understand that there are energy needs in Europe, but energy is also the biggest source of revenue for Russia. So there are calculations on both sides, but we are working on it together. “
How imminent is the threat of an invasion?
“We continue to believe that Putin has not made a final decision, but we are concerned that he has put in place all the tools he would need, with an enormously expensive military force at the border, internal destabilization, disinformation to place the blame on Ukraine. We wonder why you use so many resources that could be used to fight Covid in one of the worst affected countries, build roads, schools and hospitals, if you do not want to keep the option open. Therefore it is important to be united in calling for a diplomatic solution. we will discuss, then there will be other issues related to destabilization, but we must make it clear that if he does not take the path of diplomacy, we will be united in imposing severe costs “.
President Biden said he was open to dialogue, are you discussing a new agreement on European security with Russia?
“The Russians have long wanted to renegotiate the rules of European security. We must decide together as allies and partners, in the European space, if there are concerns of Moscow that we can discuss to make it feel calmer, and non-negotiable issues, including the veto on sovereign choices of other nations. But if the diplomatic discussion opens, we have many other things to deal with. The US however does not intend to negotiate with Russia without European allies being fully involved and part of the process, in NATO and OSCE format. We are not going to do it ourselves, it is not in our interest and it does not solve the problems. “
The economic sanctions in 2014 were not enough to prevent the invasion of Crimea, why should it be different this time?
“In 2014 we followed an incremental process, and the sectoral measures did not enter into force until 2015. The president was clear to Putin that this time we are ready to use economic and financial instruments not used in the past. We are working on a package whose consequences will not be slow and incremental, but fast and deep “.
Moscow has handed over to assistant secretary of state Donfried some proposals to re-discuss international treaties. What do you think?
“We do not think it productive to have negotiations in public. I confirm that some ideas have been passed on from Russia to Donfried, and she has shared them with NATO and the EU, to have a conversation between us about the appropriate response, which will include coordinated work. But if Moscow has requests, we too have a long list. They are the destabilizing power, and this must stop if we have a dialogue. “
What will happen to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline?
“The US and Germany have reached a bilateral understanding on the risks it poses to Ukraine and European energy security. We have agreed on steps to support Kiev, and mechanisms to certify Nord Stream 2. It was clear in the document that if there will be an aggression of Ukraine, will have an impact on the certification and operation of the pipeline. We have had good conversations with the new government, which respects the agreement “.
Why is Putin doing all this now? Do you feel weak on the inside and therefore try to distract attention from people’s problems?
“I’m not speculating about his mental history. I’m just saying that at the Geneva summit, President Biden made it clear that we would like stable and predictable relations, and he proposed concrete initiatives. Why did Putin choose to put this at risk now? It doesn’t make much sense,” also in relation to the responsibilities towards its people. Russia is one of the countries with the highest levels of Covid in the world. The population does not want a war with Ukraine, which would not help them strengthen their future, health, economy or everyday life, rebuilding schools, streets, hospitals, as we all try to do after the pandemic. Why risk seeing young Russians go home in coffins? Ukrainians are tough and will fight for their country and their sovereignty. Maybe Putin has bad information about this, or our determination. He has too much faith in oil revenues. We offer the Russians and allies a more stable and predictable future, in which Putin can invest in the health and prosperity of his nation, instead of another military adventure abroad completely unprovoked by any of us. So let’s give diplomacy a chance. If there are concerns that we can address and improve, we will. But not at the expense of the sovereignty of Ukraine or any other European nation “.
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