War in Ukraine: “During these three summits, we will see who is a friend, who is a partner, and who betrayed us for money” (Zelensky) – La Tribune.fr

“During these three summits, we will see who is a friend, who is a partner, and who betrayed us for money”: before the three summits of this Thursday, that of NATO, the G7 and the EU in the evening, in which he participated by videoconference, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had put pressure on Western countries to increase not only their support for Ukraine but also sanctions against Russia to constrain Vladimir Putin to cease hostilities. In the presence of Joe Biden, but also of the Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida, the West discussed what they could do to strengthen their military, financial and humanitarian support and what they refused to do, starting with committing troops in Ukraine, since the head of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, recalled even before the start of the summit that “there will be no NATO troops on the ground in Ukraine, nor planes in the sky”. However, according to Josep Borrell, the head of European diplomacy, “everything will be decided in the next two weeks”. At the time of publishing these lines, Volodymyr Zelensky had not yet spoken about this marathon day. But it is very likely that it will not live up to his expectations insofar as he asks for military assistance and far greater sanctions against Moscow. The European Union remains divided on whether to sever all its energy ties with Russia, with Germany continuing to oppose an immediate embargo on the hydrocarbons delivered by Moscow on which it is closely dependent. Russian gas: why Europe is trapped Sanctions However, the United States has announced new financial sanctions against the Russian political world but also against oligarchs and companies in the defense industry. These measures, which involve in particular a freezing of assets in the United States, concern 328 Duma deputies as well as 48 “large public companies” in the defense sector, such as Tactical Missiles Corporation JSC (KTRV), a conglomerate belonging to the State and whose armament is currently deployed in Russia. Western countries have also decided to sanction all transactions involving Russia’s gold reserves. Objective: to prevent Moscow from circumventing the financial isolation measures they have taken for a month, as indicated by the White House in a press release. A measure that Boris Johnson had called for earlier today, arguing that “the more pressure we put now, especially on things like gold, the more I think we can shorten the war, shorten the massacre in Ukraine” . Read also 7 mnBoris Johnson calls for targeting Russian gold reserves “to shorten the war” in Ukraine It is “clear that any transaction involving gold in connection with the central bank of Russia is covered by existing sanctions”, said the US executive. A senior US official explained: “We want to close off any possibility for Russia to use its gold to support its currency”, the rouble. He stressed, during an exchange with the press, that Moscow had a “considerable” stock of gold. According to the World Gold Council, the gold reserves stored in the vaults of the Russian Central Bank amount to 2,361.64 tons. This is the fifth highest volume behind the United States, Germany, France and Italy. This would also represent 20% of the total foreign exchange reserves of the Russian Central Bank. Read also 6 mnGold, this war chest amassed by Moscow which allows Russia to support the invasion of Ukraine The leaders of the G7 countries and the European Union also want to continue to prevent the Russian central bank from to use international reserves, including gold, to block the financing of war. “By cutting off dozens of Russian defense companies from the US financial system, today’s action will have a profound and lasting effect on the Russian defense industry,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. Earlier in the day, the British government also announced new sanctions against 59 Russian personalities and companies and six Belarusian entities. On the business side, there are, for example, the Russian diamond giant Alrosa, the private military services group Wagner, or the hydroelectric power station Rushydro. Among the personalities targeted is Guerman Gref, boss of the first Russian bank Sberbank and “Advisor to Putin since the 1990s”, according to the White House. Billionaire Gennady Timchenko, his companies Volga Group and Transoil, as well as members of his family, are also affected, and his yacht, the Lena, is blocked. Also sanctioned are 17 members of the board of directors of the bank Sovcombank. The oligarch Roman Abramovich, on the other hand, does not appear in this new list. The owner of the Chelsea football club is targeted by sanctions from the European Union and the United Kingdom. But Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly asked Joe Biden not to sanction him, according to the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday, believing he could play a role in peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Fear of the use of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons Other measures could emerge. The G7 countries have indeed said they are ready to take “new sanctions if necessary”. Especially in the event of a military escalation. “We warn against any threat of the use of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons or related material”, add the G7 countries in a joint statement, recalling “Russia’s obligations under the international treaties to which it is signatory and who protect us all”. Joe Biden even promised a “response” from NATO if Russia uses chemical weapons. Remarks that come as Volodimir Zelensky on Thursday accused Russia of having used phosphorus bombs during its military operations in Ukraine. The decisions of the West annoyed Moscow. The Russian Foreign Ministry said their decisions to supply arms to Ukraine encouraged the latter to use force against territories controlled by pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country, the agency reported. RIA press release. The West is now reaping a “terrible harvest”, added the ministry, stressing that NATO’s promise to continue to support the “kyiv regime” showed in its eyes that the Alliance wanted the conflict to continue in Ukraine. On the military side, NATO has announced that it will provide Ukraine with protective equipment against chemical, biological and nuclear attacks and protect its forces deployed on the eastern flank against these threats. Washington and its allies have also begun discussing the delivery of anti-ship missiles that could help Ukraine loosen Russia’s grip around Black Sea ports. “We have decided to intensify work to prevent escalation scenarios (and to) continue to provide weapons, defensive and lethal but with a red line that continues not to be co-belligerent,” summed up French President Emmanuel Macron during a press conference. NATO leaders also approved the creation of four new battlegroups in Romania, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia, and the reinforcement of the four already formed in Poland and the three Baltic countries. More than 100,000 American soldiers are currently present in Europe and more than 40,000 soldiers are under direct NATO command in the eastern part of Europe. Pressures on China Finally, Westerners have sent messages to Beijing. “China can only be a ‘power of mediation and moderation’ in the conflict in Ukraine triggered by Russia, because of its status on the international scene and its rejection of any attack on the territorial sovereignty of States, said Emmanuel Macron on Thursday. During a press conference in Brussels held before the European Council, the French President said that he had heard in Xi Jinping, during his recent meeting with his Chinese counterpart, “a leader who shared our concerns and who disapproves of war”. “China, as a member of the United Nations Security Council and as a great power, cannot do anything but be a mediating and moderating power and help us convince Russia to stop this war. , do not help or participate in anything, ever, and ensure that all powers return to sanity and stability,” he said, while China did not condemn the invasion of the Ukraine by Russia. US President Joe Biden on Thursday expressed “hope” that China will not help Russia cushion the impact of Western sanctions, saying the Asian giant’s economic future “lies more with the West” than to its Russian neighbour. ‘I think China understands that its economic future will depend much more on its relationship with the West than with Russia. And I’m hopeful it won’t engage’ to help Moscow ease sanctions imposed after the invasion of Ukraine, said Mr. Biden on the sidelines of several summits in Brussels. Emmanuel Macron has also proposed an emergency plan for food security, in agreement with the G7, in order to respond to the risks of “famine” in many countries that the war in Ukraine could cause. The French president called on Moscow to be “responsible” by allowing sowing in Ukraine to take place, failing which the war will cause in 12 to 18 months “an inevitable famine”, with in particular the risk of cereal shortages in Egypt and in North Africa. latribune.fr 24 March 2022, 20:03