RUSSIAN PERSPECTIVE
Macron doubles down on ‘security guarantees’ for Russia
French President Emmanuel Macron has reiterated his belief that the conflict in Ukraine will inevitably be resolved at the negotiations table, and that the West and NATO in particular will have to come up with security guarantees not only for Kiev, but Moscow as well, to secure a lasting peace.
“The day of peace will involve discussions. First and foremost for guarantees to Ukraine, for its territorial integrity, its long-term security. But also for Russia, as a party that it will be to an armistice and peace treaty,” Macron said in an interview with the TF1 and LCI channels broadcast on Tuesday.
The French leader first voiced the idea of “security guarantees” for Russia earlier this month, arguing that one of the “essential points” NATO had to address is Russia’s concern that the military bloc “comes right up to its doors, and the deployment of weapons that could threaten Russia.”
His comments triggered a barrage of criticism not only from Kiev but also fellow EU leaders from Poland, Slovakia and the Baltic states. French diplomats tried to downplay the comment, insisting that it was taken “out of context,” while Macron himself urged European allies not to “create controversy where there is none.”
In the latest interview, Macron urged critics to explain what kind of alternative to eventual talks with Moscow they are proposing.
“What the people who refuse to prepare this and work on it are proposing is full war. It will involve the whole continent,” he said.
Last December, Russia presented a list of security demands to the US and NATO, asking the West to impose a ban on Ukraine entering the military bloc, while insisting that NATO should retreat to its borders of 1997, before it began to expand.
In January, the US and NATO refused, saying they would only be interested in strategic arms control talks. Since the conflict in Ukraine escalated in February, the bloc has also moved to welcome Sweden and Finland into the military alliance, though the expansion has yet to be finalized.
** Ukraine not our ally – Croatian president
Croatian President Zoran Milanovic said on Tuesday that Ukraine “is not an ally” of his country and warned against bringing “war” to the Balkans.
“Ukraine is not an ally. It’s being forcibly made into one. It was cynically granted the status of an EU candidate. That’s what the EU is today: squalor, zero.”
Talking to reporters, he also hit out against Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic for his proposal to have Ukrainian troops trained in Croatia. Milanovic said such a move would “bring war” to the country.
“You keep pushing moral blackmail,” he addressed Plenkovic, “but you have no morals yourself. Go to Ukraine and fight.”
Speaking of the Croatian military’s preparedness to fight, Milanovic noted it had a shortage of anti-tank rockets, for example. “We have Americans, who will defend us the way they defend the Ukrainians. Great!” he said sarcastically.
The president’s comments come after Croatian lawmakers failed to adopt a motion for the country to join an EU program intended to train some 15,000 Ukrainian military personnel to fight against Russia. Last week, only 97 Croatian MPs out of 151 voted for the proposal, just short of the two-thirds of lawmakers it needed to pass.
Ahead of the vote, Milanovic, who is the commander-in-chief of the Croatian armed forces, warned that joining the program could make Zagreb a target for Russia. Plenkovic, whose cabinet backed the mission, in turn accused the president of harboring “pro-Russian views.”
** Foreign media remain silent about Ukraine’s shelling of Donetsk civilians – Putin
Foreign media and human rights organizations remain silent about Ukraine’s shelling attacks targeting civilians in Donetsk, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during talks with the acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, on Tuesday.
"I call attention to the fact that not a single foreign media outlet or human rights organization has broken the silence on this issue," Putin said, commenting on intensified shelling attacks on Donetsk.
In turn, Pushilin said the situation has been like that since 2014.
"Let’s face the truth: Donbass was seeking to resolve the conflict peacefully, and so did Russia, who, as a guarantor nation was doing everything within its power and even more. If only we could foretell back then - based on what we saw during negotiations - that Europe and the West cannot be trusted," Pushilin said, adding that he was shocked by former German chancellor Angela Merkel’s recent confessions.
"They said they were not planning to honor any commitments, that they signed documents only to win time, [and] rearm Ukraine," Putin said.
WESTERN PERSPECTIVE
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy could travel to Washington, meet President Joe Biden and visit Congress on Wednesday (today), sources familiar with the situation said, in his first known overseas trip since Russia's invasion on Feb. 24.
DIPLOMACY
* Zelenskiy's U.S. trip is expected to include a visit to lawmakers at the U.S. Capitol, a source familiar with the planning said. The trip has not been confirmed and security concerns could force a change in plans, the source said.
* Video footage issued by UkrinformTV of Zelenskiy's visit to Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine showed Ukrainian servicemen handing him a Ukrainian flag with their signatures on it, which the president said he would turn over to the Congress and Biden.
* Zelenskiy's U.S. visit comes as Congress is on the brink of approving another about $45 billion in economic and military aid to Kyiv in a funding bill.
* The World Bank said it had approved an additional financing package totalling $610 million to address urgent relief and recovery needs in Ukraine.
* There are conflicting views in Russia on whether or not to launch a renewed offensive in Ukraine, a senior U.S. State Department official said, reiterating that Washington would keep backing Kyiv regardless of which scenario plays out.
* Russia is planning to give Iran advanced military components in exchange for hundreds of drones, British defence minister Ben Wallace said, calling on the West to do more to expose the trade.
* The EU foreign policy chief told Iran's foreign minister that Tehran should immediately halt military support for Russia and internal repression in Iran.
CONFLICT
* President Vladimir Putin acknowledged that conditions in Russian-held areas of Ukraine were "extremely difficult" and ordered the strengthening of Russia's borders.
* Zelenskiy paid a surprise visit to the frontline city of Bakhmut, where he hailed the "superhuman" troops waging a battle that has come to symbolise the grinding brutality of the war.
* Electricity supplies in the Kyiv region were at a "critical" level, with less than half the capital's power needs being supplied following Russian missile and drone attacks, regional officials said.
* Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said Ukraine should prepare for new Russian attacks on its energy grid because Moscow wanted Ukrainians to spend the Christmas and New Year holidays in darkness.
* Reuters was not able to independently verify battlefield reports.
RT/TASS/Reuters
