Escuche esta historia
--:--
8:00
Ukraine demands “clear timetable” for NATO entry
On Saturday, February 19, the Ukrainian president, Volodimir Zelensky, demanded a "clear and feasible timetable" for Ukraine's entry into the Alliance, amid the tension of a possible invasion by Russia.
At the Security Conference in Munich, Zelensky said that Western countries should lend their support to Ukraine by setting a clear timetable for their country's accession to NATO.
The president thanked the help received, but assured that it was not charity, but rather a contribution to European and world security.
Zelensky considered that Ukraine has been at the forefront, being a "shield" for Europe for eight years, in clear reference to the conflict caused by Crimea's accession to Russia in 2014.
On the other hand, at the same conference, Olaf Scholz, Chancellor of Germany, pointed out that Ukraine's entry into NATO is not scheduled, stressing that it will not happen in the near future either.
Since the beginning of this year, the United States and Russia have held negotiations to achieve a viable agreement with reciprocal security guarantees.
Russia's proposals include the withdrawal of NATO towards positions of the past, that the allies assume the commitment to stop the advance of the Alliance towards the east and to veto the entry of the countries of the Soviet Union, mainly Ukraine.
Position of British authorities
On Friday, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson said it was still possible to avoid a full-scale war and avoid "unnecessary bloodbath" in Ukraine.
Johnson asked Western countries for solidarity before the Munich Security Conference.
Despite the fact that Russia has assured that its troops from the border are withdrawing, the British government, through a statement, assured that the Russian presence increased by 7,000 soldiers.
For Boris Johnson it is imperative that the allies of the West and Europe speak to Putin in unison and ensure the high cost that Russia will pay if an invasion is carried out.
The Security Conference in Munich takes place from Friday to this Sunday, where for three days, members and participants discuss security and defense issues.
It is an event that takes place every year, which on this occasion has mainly addressed the conflict between Russia, Ukraine and the NATO countries over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The conference in Munich is attended by Kamala Harris, Vice President of the United States, the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, the main diplomatic representatives of the European Union, the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg and the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky.
In previous editions of this conference, Russia was regularly present, but this year it did not send spokespersons or representatives.
On the other hand, Elizabeth Truss, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Kingdom, assured that the worst scenario for Ukraine could occur next week, therefore, she called on the countries of Europe to be prepared for any event that unfolds.
Truss, from the Munich Security Conference, assured that Russia wants to "turn back the clock" in reference to the peak period of the Soviet Union and the times of the Cold War.
The minister stressed that disinformation has been magnified in the last week, in addition, that a “false flag” operation was carried out in Donbas.
Truss called Russia "unserious" when it comes to diplomacy.
For Defense Minister Truss, due to the possible invasion of Ukraine, Europe is in one of the most dangerous moments for security since the beginning of the 20th century.
In recent weeks, a unity (albeit with different points of view) has been seen in Europe around Ukraine, some countries manage the sanctions agenda with Russia, while others have sent large sums of money, weapons, troops, planes and other defense materials to Ukraine.
Therefore, regarding the probable sanctioning measures, Truss assured that the big businessmen and the Russian elite will be denied entry to London.
Restructure the world's security
The minister highlighted the need to create a new global security structure, since the one we have now "is not capable of facing the new challenges". Referring to new military technologies, such as hypersonic missiles that Russia and Asian countries possess.
For Truss, agreements to control weapons in the future must include China, since it should not be limited to just one part of the world.
The United States assures that the invasion is near
US President Joe Biden would be fully willing to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in person if that means avoiding a war in Ukraine, Antony Blinken said on Sunday.
Through a quick visit to different media outlets, Blinken assured a major US television network that all current events are indications that a full-scale invasion is on the verge.
In addition, the secretary of state assured that, as long as the tanks are not moving into critical territory and the planes are not flying over strategic areas, the West and its allies will take advantage of all opportunities to seek diplomatic solutions.
On the other hand, Blinken made it clear that Biden is fully willing to meet with Putin at any time, in any format, if a war can be avoided.
France's last diplomatic attempt
The French president, Emmanuel Macron, in the morning hours of this Sunday, spoke with Putin for approximately an hour and a half, to later have a conversation with Volodimir Zelensky.
These meetings take place in the framework of the latest diplomatic attempts by France in the need to avoid a large-scale conflict in Ukraine that affects the European region.
On February 12, Macron had already communicated with Putin by telephone. Despite France's attempts and claims to take diplomatic steps from Russia, Russian troops on the border have not stopped, on the contrary, according to the West they have increased in number and power.
Russia has deployed around 150,000 soldiers along the border with Ukraine and is currently conducting exercises with ballistic and cruise missiles with which it can neutralize any country in Europe.
On January 24, Macron was also the promoter of a meeting held in Paris, where diplomats and spokesmen from Russia, Germany, Ukraine and France (under the Normandy format) met to reach agreements to end the conflict.
The international media have cataloged Macron's conversation with the presidents of Russia and Ukraine as the latest diplomatic attempts to avoid a war in Europe.
Hours before Macron's phone meeting, French Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anne-Claire Legendre said they have seen an unprecedented build-up of Russian soldiers that threatens Ukraine's sovereignty.
Ensuring that all the military conditions have been met to carry out a massive offensive. However, Legendre stresses that diplomatic channels remain open to find solutions through dialogue.
The French authority pointed out that if Russia carries out an invasion or an attack that undermines Ukraine's sovereignty, France's support for Ukraine will be unprecedented economic measures for the Russian economy.
Russian military exercises
President Putin has received the reports from his soldiers together with the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko.
At a time of high tension between the West and Russia over the conflict on the Ukrainian border, Putin deployed a huge nuclear arsenal in a clear show of force.
In the company of the Belarusian president, Lukashenko, who assured that they are evaluating the possibilities of granting special permits to Russia to deploy atomic weapons in Belarus.
This atomic deployment is part of the "technical-military" measures with which Vladimir Putin responded to the letter from the United States and NATO, where they do not accept the "security guarantees" that Moscow is demanding.
For its part, in the Barents Sea, the submarine with atomic potential "Karelia" fired a ballistic missile with an intercontinental range that hit its target in the "Kura" test territory, which is located north of the Kamchatka peninsula.
Russian ships in the Black Sea managed to hit different targets located on land and at sea with ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missiles.
All weapons deployed in the exercises have nuclear payload capabilities.
These exercises were supervised and directed by Vladimir Putin from the Defense Ministry's control center accompanied by Lukashenko.
Both presidents spoke with the military high command via videoconference, where the generals explained that the main objective of the military exercises consisted of verifying the reliability of nuclear weapons.
Simultaneously, in other regions of the country, on the Ukrainian border, in Belarus and in various oceans of the world, military exercises of Russian fleets and troops are taking place.
Russia's communications service issued a statement calling the exercises successful, under the command of "Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Vladimir Putin."
