The G7 foreign ministers of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States and the High Representative of the Union expressed deep concern on Monday evening 12 April about the “large” ongoing build-up of Russian military forces on Ukraine’s borders and in Crimea, considering that such large-scale troop movements “without prior notification” represent “threatening and destabilising activities”. There are reportedly more than 40,000 soldiers.
The G7 therefore called on Russia to cease its provocations and to defuse tensions “immediately” in accordance with its international obligations. In particular, it called on Moscow to respect the OSCE principles and commitments it has subscribed to regarding transparency of military movements and to respond to the established procedure on risk reduction of the Vienna Document on Confidence- and Security-Building Measures. Russia did not participate in the OSCE meeting to address concerns about its activities on 10 April.
On the other hand, the Ministers supported Ukraine’s position of restraint.
On Tuesday 13 April, during the visit of the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said that the Alliance was closely monitoring the situation. “In recent weeks, Russia has moved thousands of combat-ready troops to Ukraine’s borders. The largest Russian troop build-up since the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014”, he recalled, calling the “massive” military build-up “unjustified, unexplained and deeply worrying”. The Secretary General also called on Russia to stop this build-up and its provocations and to proceed to an immediate appeasement.
“We must discourage Moscow from further escalation, especially by making it clear that the cost of any further military adventure would be too high”, Mr Kuleba said. He said his country needed measures that would deter Russia, such as additional sanctions or direct support, to strengthen Ukraine's defence capabilities.
After Mr Stoltenberg, Mr Kuleba met with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, who travelled to Brussels to discuss the situation in Ukraine, but also Afghanistan, with the Allies. He joined his Defence counterpart, Lloyd Austin, in the Belgian capital.
The two US Secretaries will participate in a meeting of Allied Foreign and Defence Ministers on Wednesday 14 April. The EU Foreign Ministers will discuss Ukraine on Monday 19 April.
Support for the Normandy format
Furthermore, in their statement, the G7 members recalled their support for the efforts of France and Germany in the Normandy process to ensure the full implementation of the Minsk agreements, which is “the only way forward for a lasting political solution to the conflict. We call on all sides to engage constructively in the Trilateral Contact Group on the OSCE’s proposals to confirm and consolidate the ceasefire”, they added.
On Tuesday 13 April, French Ambassador Claire Raulin and German Ambassador Thomas Ossowski in the Political and Security Committee (PSC) and the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Reznikov reviewed the implementation of the agreements.
The ambassadors recalled their countries’ full commitment to the implementation of the Minsk agreements. “It is important to maintain permanent contact with Russia and Ukraine. The Normandy format is the most appropriate format, and the support of the EU and the Member States is essential and contributes to the efforts that can be made in this framework”, explained Mrs Raulin to the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs.
But for Mr Reznikov, these agreements should be modernised. And the Chair of the European Parliament’s delegation to the EU-Ukraine Association Committee, Witold Jan Waszczykowski (ECR, Poland), even wants a new format for discussions, for example with the US and Poland. “We must ensure that there is a de-escalation of conflicts. After 7 years, real results are expected. We need a new formula, a new format”, he said. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)