US President Joe Biden has proposed a summit meeting to Puti After the Russian troop deployment on the border with Ukraine, Nato and the USA assure the Eastern European country of their support. At the same time, concerns are growing about an escalation of the conflict. Now President Biden is making an attempt at rapprochement with Moscow.
Against the background of the Russian troop build-up on the border with Ukraine, US President Joe Biden has proposed a summit meeting to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. Biden had expressed his concern about the sudden build-up of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border and on the annexed Crimean peninsula in a phone call with Putin, the White House said.
The US president had proposed a summit in a third country in the coming months "to discuss the full range of issues facing the United States and Russia". No reaction from Putin is known so far. It went on to say that Biden had called on the Russian president to "de-escalate tensions" with regard to Ukraine. He also stressed "the unwavering commitment of the United States to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine". The US President had also reiterated his goal of building a stable relationship with Russia.
Earlier, Nato and the US had assured Ukraine of their support in the conflict with Russia. "Nato stands by Ukraine," Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg assured. In view of the strong Russian troop deployment along the border with Ukraine, there is currently growing concern that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could escalate again.
"Largest mobilisation of Russian troops" since Crimea annexation
The foreign and defence ministers of the NATO states want to discuss the current escalation of the Ukraine conflict and the future of the Afghanistan mission in a joint video conference on Wednesday. According to the alliance, the talks are to take place in the late afternoon. Afterwards, a press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is planned. Blinken and US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin are expected to attend the talks in person at Nato headquarters in Brussels.
Russia, meanwhile, justified its current troop deployment on the Ukrainian border with "threatening activities" by the Western military alliance. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu spoke of "combat training" on the border. This was an "appropriate" response to NATO activities "that threaten Russia".
Stoltenberg called the Russian troop movements "unfounded" and "deeply disturbing". He said the deployment of thousands of combat-ready troops to the Ukrainian border was "the largest mobilisation of Russian troops since the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014". He called on the Kremlin to stop these troop activities "immediately".
However, it is still considered impossible that Nato will actively intervene in the conflict. One reason is that Ukraine is only a partner country and not a member of the defence alliance. On the other hand, the risks are considered difficult to calculate. Diplomats say that no one can be interested in risking a third world war because of a regional conflict.
Ukraine's accession to Nato still unclear
For the same reason, it is considered impossible that Ukraine will be granted Nato membership before the conflict is resolved. Such a decision would mean that the other Nato states could be obliged to stand by Russia in the event of further aggression.
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