The two countries exchanged barbs and accused each other of ruining the de-escalation talks over the Ukraine crisis
Russia and United Kingdom (U.K.) exchanged barbs and accused each other of ruining the de-escalation talks over the Ukraine crisis.
The Foreign Minister of Russia – Sergey Lavrov accused the Foreign Secretary of U.K. – Liz Truss of not doing anything for de-escalating the crisis. The two representatives appeared before media in Moscow and blamed each other of spoiling the regional peace.
Lavrov told media, “I’m honestly disappointed that what we have is a conversation between a mute and a deaf person… Our most detailed explanations fell on unprepared soil.”
Truss challenged Lavrov that presence of 100,000 Russian troops across its borders with Ukraine is not threatening anyone. She even warned Lavrov of sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine.
“I can’t see any other reason for having 100,000 troops stationed on the border, apart from to threaten Ukraine. And if Russia is serious about diplomacy, they need to remove those troops and desist from the threats,” said Truss.
Taking it to twitter, Truss tweeted,
I delivered a clear message to Minister Lavrov that Russia must deescalate, respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and engage in meaningful talks.
— Liz Truss (@trussliz) February 10, 2022
If Russia is serious about not invading, we need to see troops withdraw. The military build-up is an undeniable threat to Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/YdwdKQRlDz
She further tweeted, “
This week I have been in Moscow to urge the Kremlin to abide by international agreements, de-escalate its aggression against Ukraine and engage in meaningful talks. 👇 pic.twitter.com/EH9WZFCEzB
— Liz Truss (@trussliz) February 10, 2022
Meanwhile, the Prime Minster of U.K. – Boris Johnson visited the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) headquarters and held discussions with Secretary General of NATO – Jens Stoltenberg.
Welcoming Johnson, Stoltenberg tweeted,
Welcomed @BorisJohnson & thanked him for #UK key contributions to #NATO, including reinforcement of our Eastern flank. We discussed #Russia's military build-up in & around #Ukraine at this dangerous moment for European security. We remain committed to a diplomatic way forward. pic.twitter.com/Q7PJYDCXlB
— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) February 10, 2022
Johnson said he doesn’t think so that President of Russia – Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine. He also said that it doesn’t mean Russia will not invade Ukraine. He highlighted that a solution is only possible through diplomacy.
The German Chancellor – Olaf Scholz met his Baltic States counterparts in Berlin, where officials from Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France were also there. He said that Germany and its allies are ready for a dialogue and resolving the tensions. He said that any further military aggression against Ukraine would have very serious political, economic and strategic consequences for Russia.
