Crisis in Ukraine is stalled in negotiations. Scholz: "De-escalation signals are needed from Moscow"

As Ukraine appears ready to prepare for war , German Chancellor Olaf Scholz asked Russia for "immediate signs of de-escalation" in the crisis, before traveling to Kiev and then to Moscow. "We expect immediate signs of de-escalation from Moscow," he said, stressing that "a new military aggression will have serious consequences for Russia".

De-escalation is the appeal also launched by the G7 finance ministers: "Our immediate priority is to support the efforts to de-escalate the situation" but if Moscow intensifies military action, the G7 "is ready to collectively impose sanctions economic and financial consequences with enormous and immediate consequences on the Russian economy ", they affirm.

After the stalemate in negotiations at the highest levels, with the conversation between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin that led only to the generic promise to continue with the dialogue, in the last hours, a supply of the Stinger anti-aircraft missile system landed from Lithuania, while another 180 tons of ammunition has been transferred by the United States, for a total of about 1,500 since the start of the crisis.

"No one should be surprised if Russia creates an accident to justify the military action it had always planned", reiterated US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, once again sounding the alarm on the "false pretext" to invade Ukraine. Coordination with the allies of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky remains constant. After an interview in the late morning with the President of the European Council Charles Michel, who reiterated the solidarity of the 27, a new briefing arrived with President Joe Biden, who updated him after the phone call with Putin.

The White House reiterated that in the event of Russian aggression the response will come "quickly and decisively", explaining that the two leaders agreed "on the importance of continuing to pursue diplomacy and deterrence".

From the juxtaposition of British Defense Minister Ben Wallace between negotiations with Putin and the Munich Conference, which in 1938 marked the diplomatic surrender to the Nazi regime of Adolf Hitler, to Poland announcing preparations for a wave of refugees in the event of conflict across the border with Ukraine, the allies try this time not to be caught off guard by Moscow's moves. Which, for the moment, is limited to observing the chaos.

ALLEN: "CRISIS CREATED BY PUTIN" - For John Allen, president of the Brookings Institution and former commander of the NATO forces in Afghanistan, the conflict in Ukraine has in many respects already begun: "It must be remembered that Ukraine does not pose any threat to the Russia and that this crisis is artificially created by Putin and the oligarchs. We can speculate on an attack on the capital but only the Russians know it. If they intend to carry out a decisive operation in 'physical domination' to bring down any Ukrainian resistance quickly, the logic it may indicate an attack to 'decapitate' the 'command and control' ", he says in an interview with Corriere.

"Ukraine has already been under attack for months in the cybernetic and information domain - he underlines - in the 21st century wars are fought in multiple domains and the physical, traditional one, with planes dropping bombs, missiles, tanks armed, the ships is just one of them ". The Russians "have been trying for years to destabilize democracies, including the US and Italy. Now the US is contesting Russia in these spaces. We do not intend to intervene in physical domination on behalf of the Ukrainians, but we will not allow the Russians to act with impunity in others. two".

Allen does not think "that Putin is unstable, irrational or crazy". His intent is to prevent "Ukraine from becoming another US or Western post on the Russian border". He also "wants to have a voice in Europe's security architecture" and "separate the US from Europe and NATO. If he invades Ukraine it will be counterproductive for him. An attack could increase American orientation and commitment to the country. 'Europe". However, a Russian invasion of Ukraine "should first be approved by the senior partner: China. So one has to ask: should China also be held accountable? But I will never say that this is a new Cold War." This "is a new era of strife".

ITALIANS IN UKRAINE - There are several Italians in Ukraine, who however do not speak of a panic situation: "There is no panic, there is much more outside. Many call or write to ask how it goes, but to now everything is quiet in the country ". This was told by Anna, a researcher from Turin who returned late yesterday evening with a flight from Kiev. "People go to the cinema, to the theater, there are construction sites everywhere, life goes by in a normal way and nothing suggests that something is going to happen. I left Odessa by train, then I took the plane: warning signs I haven't seen any. "

His point of view, he specifies, is not that of a tourist. "I was there since the beginning of January, I got to live and talk among the Ukrainians and everyone says nothing will happen." Despite the foreign ministry's invitation to leave Ukraine as a precaution due to concerns about a possible military escalation, few are leaving for now.

(Unioneonline / D)