The winds of war over Ukraine continue to blow, and no one seems able to extinguish them. After the US alarm on the risk of an imminent invasion, diplomacy tries to play the last cards to avoid armed confrontation. But no breakthrough has come from the conversation between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. On the contrary. In a phone call that lasted just over an hour yesterday, the two leaders essentially reaffirmed their positions. The US president threatens: “If you invade you will pay dearly for it.”
Now it’s up to Olaf Scholz’s Germany, which prepares its meeting with Putin. The German Chancellor asked Angela Merkel for advice. Which, underlines the image, he knows Putin «like few other heads of government or state, he has met him many times, both in good times and bad. He knows the power games that Putin willingly uses towards his interlocutors ». Before going to Moscow, Scholz will meet the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky tomorrow in Kiev. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken returned to the decision to evacuate the US embassy in Kiev, followed by other Western countries.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Blinek warns: “No one should be surprised if Russia provokes an accident which it will then use to justify the military action it has planned,” he declared. The risk of military intervention and “the threat are imminent,” he said, calling the operation “the most prudent thing to do”.
The West and the great ball with the post-Soviet bear
MASSIMO GIANNINI
Ukrainian Foreign Minister: no “drastic changes” were recorded at the border
And while the tension between Washington and Moscow is growing at a diplomatic level, accused of increasing its military presence close to Ukrainian territory, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba assured that “In recent days there have been no drastic changes” at the border ” . Without substantial changes also the activities in the “occupied territories”, he added, speaking of the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, in the east of the country. Ukraine, he continued, continues “to work actively with allies and from within”, certain that diplomacy is the only way to resolve the crisis. «Ukraine is not alone. The situation is under control and the country is prepared for any kind of scenario, ”he assured him.
Wars of America. After 20 years of fighting terror, the specter of another conflict
GIANNI RIOTTA
Pope Francis: “Every effort for peace”
«The news coming from Ukraine is very worrying. I entrust every effort for peace to the intercession of the Virgin Mary and to the conscience of political leaders ”. Pope Francis said this at the Angelus, adding to the faithful: “let us pray in silence”.
Thousands of people in the streets in Kiev against Russia
Meanwhile, yesterday thousands of people demonstrated in Kiev to show the country’s unity against Russia, after the Ukrainian president’s appeal not to panic. It was reported on Guardian. “The best friend of our enemies is panic. And all this information is only causing panic and cannot help us, ”said Volodymyr Zelensky, referring to the alarm raised by the US about the possibility of a Russian invasion of Ukraine at any moment. Waving Ukrainian flags and banners reading “Ukrainians will resist” and “Let’s say no to Putin”, a long procession of demonstrators crossed the center of Kiev.
Reportage: Kiev, lives suspended. The order is “do not panic”, but the fear of an attack now infects the Ukrainians
monica perosino
British OSCE observers are withdrawn from Ukraine
And it is this morning the news that the British observers of the OSCE, Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, are withdrawn from Ukraine: this was announced by a spokesman for the Foreign Office quoted by the Cnn. The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM) was deployed on 21 March 2014. «The SMM is an unarmed civilian mission, present on the ground 24/7 in all regions of Ukraine. Its main tasks are to observe and report impartially and objectively on the situation in Ukraine and to facilitate dialogue between all parties ”, reads the organization’s website.
Macron’s talks
Yet another long telephone conversation between Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron, just before the one with Biden, repeated the controversy that followed face to face (4 meters away) in the Kremlin. A “sincere dialogue” is not compatible “with an escalation”, warned the Elysée leader, reiterating Western “determination” but receiving in response the accusation of having launched “provocative speculations”. Macron, the current EU president, does not abandon his commitment to the game, however, and to take stock, he spoke at the moment with Biden, the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Zelensky. But as the hours go by, the prospects for a conflict grow stronger, as the US State Department leaks.
Italy and Europe adapt to the hard line of the United States: “Remove all citizens from the country”
Francesca strives
Italy ready to send a thousand men to strengthen the South-East side of Europe
Italy is also ready to send new troops to help strengthen Europe’s south-eastern border. It is a battalion of a thousand men – armored infantry units – which could be deployed in Hungary. And an Italian presence in Bulgaria is not excluded. Rome has already given willingness to participate in any decisions that will be taken by NATO in the coming days. Meanwhile, about two thousand residents have been added to the list of Western countries that have invited their fellow citizens to leave Ukraine, along with Germany, Holland, Spain, Sweden and Denmark. “We are all working to avoid an escalation,” said Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio, adding that “obviously we are working to keep a channel of dialogue open with Moscow”. Rome has also decided to return, in agreement with the EU embassies to the country, the non-essential personnel of its embassy in Kiev. The announcement from Moscow also came around the corner, which in turn decided to reduce the diplomatic staff in Ukraine due to the risk of “possible provocations”.
Kiev continues to urge citizens to “stay calm”
And the military tensions are also reflected thousands of kilometers from Ukraine. A Virginia-class submarine of the US Navy was intercepted and removed by the destroyer Marshal Chapochnikov in Russian territorial waters in the Pacific, claimed the defense of Moscow, which summoned the military attaché of Washington. But the Pentagon has not confirmed what happened. In all of this, Kiev continues to urge citizens to “remain calm, united within the country, avoid destabilizing and panic-creating actions”, while President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted that Western warnings “cause panic “.
Australian Premier: “Dangerous situation”
“The situation, as you are all hearing, is deteriorating and is about to enter a very dangerous phase.” This was declared today by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, after the decision to temporarily suspend the operations of the embassy in Kiev. “Russia’s unilateral actions to threaten and bully Ukraine are something completely and utterly unacceptable,” he added, explaining that the families and staff members of the embassy in Kiev left some time ago and that the three remaining members of the staff have now been instructed to relocate to Lviv. The prime minister also referred to China, saying the country remains “chillingly silent” over Russian troops amassing near the Ukrainian border in recent weeks.
Kiev denies entry ban to Russians
The spokesperson for the Ukrainian Border Service, Andriy Demchenko, in an interview with Telegraph he denied information reported by the media about a ban on the entry of Russians into the country. To report that the Kiev authorities had decided not to let Russian citizens into Ukrainian territory were some eyewitnesses on social networks and the parliamentarian Vadim Rabinovich, a member of the pro-Russian opposition.
Madeira-Kiev flight landed in Chisinau
A SkyUp airline plane departing from Madeira and bound for Kiev was forced to land in Chisinau as the company that had the leased aircraft refused to let it enter Ukrainian airspace. This was reported by the carrier’s communications office. A transfer to Kiev was organized for the 175 passengers on board, who were refreshed.