German Chancellor Olaf Scholz landed in Kiev yesterday for crisis talks ahead of a dramatic visit to Moscow to head off what Berlin sees as the “very critical” threat of a Russian invasion.
On his arrival, the German leader headed directly to see Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskiy, whose government has demanded an urgent meeting with Russia to explain why it has deployed more than 100,000 troops to Ukraine’s borders.
European leaders say that the crisis is the worst threat to the continent’s security since the Cold War, with Russian President Vladimir Putin demanding a rollback of Western influence in eastern Europe and a ban on Ukraine joining NATO.
Photo: AP
The US has warned that Russia’s forces are poised to attack Ukraine and Western allies have prepared what they warn would be a crippling package of economic sanctions in response.
However, as Scholz made his way to the presidential palace the streets of Kiev were calm under blue skies and bright sunshine. Ukrainians went about their business despite fears that commercial flights in and out of the nation would be halted.
Earlier, a German government source had said: “We assess the situation as very critical, very dangerous.”
US intelligence officials worry that weeks of crisis talks have given Russia the time to prepare a major offensive — should Putin make the ultimate decision to attack Ukraine.
“We are digging trenches that Ukrainian soldiers could quickly jump into and defend in case the Russians attack,” 15-year-old Mykhailo Anopa said.
He was speaking near the front line separating Kiev-held territory from that under the control of Moscow-backed insurgents in the separatist east.
Washington reaffirmed its warning on Sunday that Russia was now ready to strike at “any moment.”
It said the assault was likely to start with “a significant barrage of missiles and bomb attacks.”
Ukraine requested a formal meeting with Moscow and other members of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe that might explain “the reinforcement and movement of Russian forces along our border.”
The Ukrainian presidency on Sunday said that Zelenskiy had also urged US President Joe Biden to visit Kiev “in the coming days” to show moral support.
The White House made no mention of the invitation in its readout of the 50-minute telephone call.
Germany plays a central role in efforts to mediate in eastern Ukraine where a grueling conflict with Russian-backed separatists has claimed more than 14,000 lives, but its close business relations with Moscow and heavy reliance on Russian natural gas imports have been a source of lingering concern for Kiev’s pro-Western leaders and Biden’s team.
Scholz has warned Russia that it should “not underestimate our unity and determination,” but also hedged against unequivocally backing Biden’s pledge to “bring an end” to Russia’s new Nord Stream 2 gas link to Germany.
Kiev is also upset with Berlin for not having joined some of its NATO allies in starting to supply weapons to Ukraine.
Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Andriy Melnik fumed at “German hypocrisy” on Twitter on Sunday, saying Germany was exporting “dual-use goods to Russia,” but offering “no weapons for Ukraine’s self-defence.”
Scholz’s planned visit to Moscow today follows tit-for-tat closures of the German-language service of Russia’s RT network and the Moscow bureau of Germany’s Deutsche Welle.
Despite the diplomatic push, a growing number of Western nations are withdrawing staff from their embassies in Kiev and urging their citizens to leave Ukraine immediately, but departures could be complicated by the looming threat of the skies over Ukraine closing due to rising risks for airlines.
Dutch carrier KLM became the first major airline at the weekend to suspend flights to Kiev indefinitely.
On Monday, ahead of the potential shutdown, Kiev’s international airport was busy, but there were no signs of panic, despite long lines of people waiting to depart.
Yuriy Fedynskiy, a 46-year-old musician, was heading to the US with his pregnant wife and four children, leaving behind his village in eastern Ukraine.
“Yes, war is very, very possible, and that’s not good for having babies,” he said, adding that he wanted his children to learn English and escape whatever fate Putin might inflict on their homeland.
“It could happen any second. Will it happen? Only Putin knows, but we are not going to let Putin decide the fate of our family,” he said.
Ukraine’s budget airline SkyUp said European leasing companies were demanding that Ukrainian carriers return their planes to EU airspace within 48 hours.
Industry analysts believe other international airlines could soon also ban flights to Ukraine because of the growing cost to insurers.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
US PUBLICATION: The results indicated a change in attitude after a 2023 survey showed 55 percent supported full-scale war to achieve unification, the report said More than half of Chinese were against the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, a survey conducted by the Atlanta, Georgia-based Carter Center and Emory University found. The survey results, which were released on Wednesday in a report titled “Sovereignty, Security, & US-China Relations: Chinese Public Opinion,” showed that 55.1 percent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that “the Taiwan problem should not be resolved using force under any circumstances,” while 24.5 percent “strongly” or “somewhat” disagreed with the statement. The results indicated a change in attitude after a survey published in “Assessing Public Support for (Non)Peaceful Unification
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
The China Coast Guard has seized control of a disputed reef near a major Philippine military outpost in the South China Sea, Beijing’s state media said, adding to longstanding territorial tensions with Manila. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea and has waved away competing assertions from other countries as well as an international ruling that its position has no legal basis. China and the Philippines have engaged in months of confrontations in the contested waters, and Manila is taking part in sweeping joint military drills with the US which Beijing has slammed as destabilizing. The Chinese coast guard
RSS