Putin Says He Doesn’t Want War, Schulz Refers to “Cursed Duty” to Defend Peace Amid Tensions in Ukraine | Globalism

“We want [uma guerra], or not? of course not. So we present our proposals to the negotiation process.”

“Courageous acts must come from all of us,” Schultz said. “It is our damned duty to stand up for peace.”

The leaders’ speeches come amid tensions in Ukraine. Schulz is visiting the region this week as part of European diplomatic efforts to avoid conflict.

Western countries threaten Russia With “unprecedented” penalties in the event of an attack on Ukrainian territory.

The United States and other NATO countries have sent military reinforcements to eastern Europe and say an invasion could happen “at any moment”.

• Read also: Schulz, like Macron, refused to take the Russian Covid test

Schulze says quitting is a good sign

Putin said during the press conference that Russia It decided to withdraw part of its forces to allow for further discussions with the countries of the West.

Schultz, along with the Russian president, said the withdrawal was a “good sign” and that diplomatic options to avoid war had not yet been exhausted.

“Now we’re hearing that some troops have been withdrawn, which is a good sign, and hopefully there will be more,” he said.

Putin wants to “keep working” with the West

During the interview, Putin said he wanted to “continue to work together” with Western countries on European security to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine.

“We are ready to continue working together. We are ready to follow the path of negotiations,” he said next to Schultz.

The Russian president criticized the Western countries’ rejection of his main demands, which “unfortunately did not receive a constructive response”.

• The Russian government calls for an end to NATO’s expansionist policy
• Moreover, the Russians want NATO to commit not to deploy offensive weapons near its borders.
• the Russia It also calls for the return of NATO’s border infrastructure to what it was in 1997, before countries from the former Soviet Union entered the bloc.

Putin also stressed that he would not give up on these demands, and that they would form part of the negotiations between the Russians and the Westerners.

The Russian government confirmed the start of the withdrawal of its forces stationed on the border with Ukraine, stressing that the exercises were normal, and denounced what it described as Western “hysteria” in the face of an alleged invasion of the neighboring country.

“We have always said that after the maneuvers the troops will return to their headquarters. This is what is happening now. This is the usual procedure,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the press.

the Russia More than 100,000 soldiers were stationed in areas of its territory near the border with Ukraine.

moreover Russia Troops were sent to Belarus for military exercises scheduled to end on February 20. Thus, Ukraine is almost completely surrounded by the Russian army.

The Russian government has denied that it has plans to attack the neighboring country, but is demanding legal guarantees that Ukraine will not join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).