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German Chancellor Olaf Scholz wants to restore relations with Moscow and is planning a face-to-face meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin later this month.
Senior German officials have already scheduled meetings with Russian counterparts in January in a bid to ease geopolitical tensions amid growing alarm that the Kremlin is planning a military strike against Ukraine.
According to a report Monday by the German newspaper Bild, German foreign policy adviser Jens Plotner has been discussing with the Kremlin a meeting between the German and Russian leaders for more than two weeks. The newspaper, which has a reputation for leaking German domestic political news to its media rivals, reported that Scholz was seeking “a fresh start” in relations with Moscow and wanted to focus on energy policies and Ukraine.
US-Russia talks
Senior US and Russian officials will hold talks in Geneva on January 9 and 10 on the concentration of Russian troops on its border with Ukraine, where, according to Western and Ukrainian intelligence officials, there are about 100,000 Russian soldiers.
Western leaders and officials have already refused to include in talks Russia ‘s request to halt further NATO enlargement and reduce the alliance’ s military presence in the former Soviet states of Central Europe.
The Geneva talks, which will be led by senior State Department officials, are scheduled to be followed by Russia-NATO council talks and a meeting of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
Western leaders have warned of dire consequences if the Kremlin decides to launch another attack on Ukraine similar to that of 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula and used local armed groups to occupy much of the Donbas region. Eastern Ukraine, on the border with Russia.
US President Joe Biden told reporters on Friday that he had advised his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin when they spoke by telephone the day before that future talks could only work if the Russian leader “eased tensions”. Mr Biden said he also made it clear to Russian leaders in his second conversation within a month that the United States and European allies were ready to punish Russia with harsh economic sanctions.
“I made it clear to President Putin that if he made more moves in Ukraine, we would impose tough sanctions,” said US President Biden. “We will increase our presence in Europe with NATO allies,” he added.
Kremlin officials, however, have reiterated warnings to the West of a “colossal mistake” that could have far-reaching consequences for the already strained US-Russia relationship.
Concern over Russia’s actions among some small European countries
But despite harsh words from Washington, there are concerns among the smaller European countries, who fear that the larger Western powers may try to reach an agreement with Moscow without their presence.
Finnish President Sauli Niinistö is urging all European countries, regardless of whether they are members of the Western alliance or not, to be involved in security negotiations between Russia, the United States and NATO.
Mr Niinistö has reiterated his country’s right to join NATO if it so wishes, a sharp rejection of Russia’s request that NATO refuse to admit new members.
“Finland’s room for maneuver and freedom of choice also include the possibility of military alignment and applying for NATO membership, if we are to decide so ourselves,” said President Niinistö in a strong New Year’s address to the country.
He said Russia’s ultimatums “are in conflict with the European security order” and he wanted an important role for the European Union in any negotiations to help express the security needs and views of smaller countries.
“In this situation, Europe can not just listen to our concerns,” said President Niinistö. “The sovereignty of some member states, such as Sweden and Finland, has been challenged by countries outside the European Union. This makes the EU a party involved. “The EU should not be satisfied with just the role of a technical coordinator of sanctions.”
Germany’s concerns
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s New Year’s address to the country on the occasion of the New Year was softer, and while he warned of a punitive Western response to any further Russian aggression on Ukraine, he stressed the importance of “constructive dialogue” with Russia.
The German chancellor has been under pressure from allies and members of his coalition government, including Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, leader of the country’s Green Party, to block any formal approval of Russian natural gas shipments through the Nord Stream pipeline. 2, newly completed linking Russia and Germany.
Central and Eastern European countries have criticized former Chancellor Angela Merkel for her support of the Nord Stream 2 project. They say the pipeline risks deepening European dependence on Russian gas. Last month, Poland’s prime minister publicly called on Chancellor Scholz to oppose the launch of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, warning that it could be used as an economic coercive weapon by Russia.
In addition to the tactics to be used against Russia, there continues to be disagreement among Western powers over the assessment of Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s intentions. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has downplayed the risk of Russian military action, saying the Kremlin wants to explore diplomacy and is not preparing “for action”.
Some Italian officials say they fear that talk of an imminent war could take on a life of its own, influencing and shaping the behavior of Russia and the United States. They also cite draft security treaties that Russia presented to the United States last week as an indication of a willingness to negotiate further.voa
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