Europe asks Russia to take concrete steps to ease tensions over Ukraine

The heads of state of Germany and Spain issued a statement on January 17 calling on Europe to unite and demand that Russia take concrete steps to cool down the current tensions surrounding the Ukraine issue, in the context of diplomatic efforts continuing to be deployed intensively to eliminate the risk of an all-out war at the gateway to Europe.

Meeting between the leaders of Germany and Spain.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz paid an official visit to Spain on January 17 and discussed with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez major regional issues, focusing on the current tensions in relations between Western countries and Russia and the risk of military conflict breaking out on the border between Russia and Ukraine.

Speaking to reporters in Madrid, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said the risk of security instability in Europe continues to increase every day after negotiations between Russia and Western countries, including the US and NATO member states, ended in a deadlock last week and Europe urgently needs to ask Russia to take concrete steps to ease tensions.

“We discussed the crises in Europe’s neighbourhood, and this has a very big connection with the situation on the Ukrainian border. We are extremely concerned because the situation is very serious. There is no other way to describe it. Therefore, it is important that Europe demands clear steps from Russia to de-escalate the situation. Our job is to do everything possible to ensure that conflict is avoided, because otherwise it will end up with consequences for all sides.”

For weeks, Western countries have repeatedly threatened to impose “unprecedented” economic sanctions on Russia if it launches a military attack on Ukraine. One of those measures could be Germany’s cancellation of the $10 billion Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, which would have transported gas directly from Russia to Germany. Currently, European countries as well as the German coalition government are still debating this scenario of sanctions.

Meanwhile, European media reported that Russia continued to gather troops and military equipment on the border between Russia and Ukraine, and mobilized troops to conduct exercises in neighboring Belarus, increasing concerns about a possible military conflict scenario with Ukraine./.