World leaders have gathered to discuss the key challenges in international security policy at the annual Munich Security Conference, which began on Friday. The on-going conflict in Ukraine is top of the agenda.
09 February 2015
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that every member state “has to decide on its own” whether or not to send military weapons to Ukraine, DPA news agency quoted him as saying at a meeting with the leaders of the Germany’s ruling Social Democratic Party’s coalition.
Stoltenberg also expressed support for the ‘Normandy Four’ meeting, which may be held in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, as early as Wednesday.
08 February 2015
“The majority of EU politicians, if not all,” including Moscow, are negative about the possibility of weapons supply to Kiev, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaking on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. “[This] idea can only exacerbate the profound Ukrainian crisis,” he told reporters. He said there have already been cases of lethal aid supply to conflict areas when these weapons “fell into the wrong hands. <…> The current Ukrainian president doesn’t have a monopoly on security structures.”
French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told the iTELE TV channel he was against sending weapons to Ukraine and opposed to Ukraine becoming a member of NATO.
“This is totally ruled out,” he said. “France has many times said it’s not going to support the idea of Ukraine entering NATO.”
US Secretary of State John Kerry has acknowledged the crisis in Ukraine can’t “end through military force,” and denied there was a split between the US and EU over handling the crisis.
"Let me assure everybody there is no division, there is no split - I hear people trying to create one," Kerry said, as cited by Reuters. "We are united, we are working closely together, we all agree that this challenge will not end through military force. We are united in our diplomacy."
Kiev hasn’t provided Moscow with copies of documents it describes as proof of Russian military presence in Ukraine, said Viktor Sorokin, director of the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) department within the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko showed the audience at the Munich Security Conference several passports on Saturday, saying they belonged to Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine.
“We asked the Ukrainian side to give us copies of the documents containing last names, because such IDs, as were shown yesterday, could easily be bought. There’s no real proof, as of today, the Ukrainian side has not been able to give us the copies of these documents,” Sorokin said, as cited by RIA Novosti.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has met with his EU counterpart Federica Mogherini. A European diplomatic source said the pair planned to talk about the current situation in Ukraine, Iran’s nuclear program and a number of questions regarding Russia’s relationship with the EU.
Weapons supplies to Ukraine would only aggravate the crisis, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said at the Munich Security Conference. He added European security could only be built with Russia, not against it.
Steinmeier also criticized his Russian counterpart Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for his remarks, in which he accused the US and the EU of escalating the crisis in Ukraine.
"It is Moscow's responsibility to identify common interests," Steinmeier said, according to Reuters. "We have seen too little of this so far. And the speech by my colleague Lavrov yesterday made no contribution to this."
The former head of the UN, Kofi Annan said the US led invasion of Iraq was a mistake and helped to create the Islamist militant group, the Islamic State.
“I was against this invasion and my fears panned out exactly as I would not have wished. This decision aggravated the situation, while the break-up of the Iraqi forces left a number of unhappy police officers and army personnel unemployed,” the former UN secretary general stated. He added that some of these former security force members would go on to join the Islamic State.
“The aim of creating democracy without the existing institutions led to the corruption of a corrupt regime,” Annan said.
“The Islamic State is destroying the diversity and pluralism in the Middle East,” the former secretary general concluded.
It is much easier for the US to call for more sanctions, when it has comparatively little trade with Russia, Executive Director of Germany’s Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, Dr. Rainer Lindner, told RT in Munich.
“A country that has only 10 percent of trade with Russia than Germany has is easier to ask for sanctions because you don’t have much to lose. Given the fact that the America-Russia trade grew in 2014 by one percent and the German-Russian trade fell down by 20 percent shows you that even despite the fact that there were sanctions introduced by the Americans first and then the EU, the American-Russian trade grew and now we have big problem for European companies in Russia,” he said.
Lindner referred to the Munich conference as the “last chance to bring peace … and we shouldn’t miss it.” He further explained that a political solution is the only viable option. “We are desperately asking for political solutions because we don’t see any changes in [the political actions of] Russia through sanctions.”
Russia has to perceive this as strong signal from the Europeans, Lindner told RT. “It is not the Americans who enter Moscow. It is the Europeans - it is the Chancellor and French president. The appeal and the signal is: ‘don’t miss that chance for maybe a last solution for brining peace into Ukraine and not to deescalate.’”
The time has come to find a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine, Executive Director of Germany’s Committee on Eastern European Economic Relations, Dr. Rainer Lindner, told RT in Munchen, adding that German and Russian business have taken a big hit.
“The business relations between Germany and Russia are in a very deep crisis as well as the political relations. And as business representatives, we convinced our political partners, both from Russia and our minister of economy, Mr Gabriel, that it is time to find a political solution for that crisis because business in Russia suffers a lot, but, also German business in Russia suffers,” Lindner said.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said that America is thinking about sending “additional” assistance to Kiev, which could include weapons. “I have no doubt that additional assistance of [the] economic kind and other kinds will be going to Ukraine,” Kerry said in Munich.
At the same time, he stressed that the US sees that there is “no military solution” to the conflict in southeastern Ukraine. “And we do so understanding that there is no military solution. The solution is a political, diplomatic one,” Kerry said.
07 February 2015
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned US Secretary of State John Kerry that US plans to supply Kiev with military equipment might have “unpredictable consequences,” including “disrupting the efforts to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine.” He stressed that Russia and US agree that the only basis for any solution is comprehensive national dialogue on constitutional reform.
Russia and the US discussed the prospects of Iran nuclear talks, the situation in Yemen as well as Syria, the Russian foreign ministry said following the meeting between Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry. Lavrov noted that there is a need to help establish dialogue between Damascus and opposition and talked about the results of the Syrian meeting in Moscow.
The Franco-German strategy to resolve the conflict in southeastern Ukraine is based on the Minsk agreements, but it also proposes new details on how to implement the peace treaty, including the timing of certain steps, Reuters quoted a senior State Department official as saying. The official spoke after he met with leaders from Germany and Ukraine.
“What is different is there is a bit more detail around how it will be implemented and more of a roadmap on timing, but it is broadly consistent with Minsk,” the official said.
He denied there is any disagreement between US and Europe over supplying Kiev with more weapons.
Russia will not sacrifice its “national interest,” but is ready to “engage constructively” with the US, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during the meeting with US Secretary of State John Kerry in Munich, according to the foreign ministry’s Facebook page. Lavrov added that trying to pressure Russia with sanctions is useless and will not solve the crisis.
Protesters marched outside the 51st Munich Security Conference to demonstrate against NATO, as world leaders gather to discuss international security concerns including the crisis in eastern Ukraine, Saturday, Ruptly reports. Demonstrators carried placards reading “more armour, more weapons will not create peace," in reference to NATO’s plans to increase their military presence in Eastern Europe.
Here's the @ICSR_Centre data on global jihadism mentioned in #MSC2015, from our MunSecReport: https://t.co/wK5GFqQPnBpic.twitter.com/XR5NyPCjzS
— Security Conference (@MunSecConf) February 7, 2015
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko met with European Union High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Federica Mogherini, Saturday evening during the Security Conference in Munich.
Poroshenko said that united EU support for Kiev was essential in order to stabilize the situation in the Donbass region of the country.
“The success of peace talks largely depends on the consolidation of the European and transatlantic position,” he said.
Mogherini meanwhile underscored the importance of finding a diplomatic solution to the crisis in eastern Ukraine. She also voiced her support for any “peaceful initiatives” of the Ukrainian president, Francois Hollande and Angela Merkel.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Saturday in Munich. The ministers discussed Friday’s meeting between Russian, German and French leaders in Moscow, which was held with the intention of finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict in Ukraine.
The US Secretary of State took a moment to share some personal good news with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during the Munich security conference on Saturday. Kerry told his counterpart that his daughter Vanessa had just had a second child. Lavrov congratulated the 71-year-old grandfather before making a playful jibe about the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl victory last Sunday.
“John, we always are happy when patriots beat hawks,” he said.
Kerry responded pensively after pausing: “I hadn't thought of it that way. I'm sure you do."
Poroshenko said that Kiev could not accept changes to the ‘demarcation lines’ mentioned in the Minsk protocol last September. Last month, diplomats from the so-called 'Normandy Four' group - France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia - voiced their support for the immediate withdrawal of heavy artillery from a bufferzone around this line.
“The Minsk protocol is not a buffet in the Bayerischer Hof hotel,” Poroshenko said on Saturday, referring to the location of the Munich security conference. “If you take just line, ceasefire and nothing more it would be simply no peace.”
Will arming #Ukraine help bring about a negotiated solution? Angela Merkel on why she doesn't think so from #MSC2015: pic.twitter.com/7eldujuzzI
— Security Conference (@MunSecConf) February 7, 2015
#Iraq PM @HaiderAlAbadi: We are the country that has paid the price for the problem in #Syria. #MSC2015
— Security Conference (@MunSecConf) February 7, 2015
#Russia FM Lavrov congratulates #SecKerry on New England beating Seattle in Super Bowl: "John, we always are happy when patriots beat hawks"
— Matt Lee (@APDiploWriter) February 7, 2015
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is meeting US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in the Bavarian capital. The main topic of discussion is the Ukrainian conflict.
Sergey Lavrov and @JohnKerry talks in Munich/ Переговоры С.Лаврова и Дж.Керри #MSC2015@RusEmbUSA@MunSecConfpic.twitter.com/SWB4rlzCeU
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) February 7, 2015
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO and Russia agreed to keep channels of political contact and military communications open after a 40 minute meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a security conference in Munich.
He added that “it's clear that we assess the situation in Ukraine in very different ways.”
After the talks, Lavrov noted that “NATO’s backing of Kiev forces in the southeast of Ukraine is not conducive to finding a peaceful resolution to Ukraine’s deep domestic conflict,” according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Though the alliance cut off practical cooperation with Moscow, Stoltenberg said that contact between Russia and NATO is to continue.
“We have kept the lines of communication. Political contacts, as well as the lines of communication are kept open…There are also lines of communication between the member states (NATO) and their counterparts in Russia at various levels.”
While addressing the security conference, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko held up six red Russian passports he claimed had been discovered on Ukrainian territory, citing them as the “best evidence” of Russian troop presence in Ukraine.
Sergey Lavrov met w/ #Slovenian President @BorutPahor / С.Лавров с Президентом Словении Б.Пахором @AmbrusSlo#MSC2015pic.twitter.com/mj2sz1SbHP
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) February 7, 2015
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that unless Kiev receives political, economic and military aid from Europe and other allies, the Ukrainian conflict will remain unsolved.
"The Ukrainian question will remain unsolved as long as ... the people and politicians in Europe and the whole world don't provide solid practical support for Ukrainians' independence - politically, economically but also militarily," he said.
"We are an independent nation and we have a right to defend our people," he added. "Over the course of the offensive we have proved to be responsible and we will not use the defensive equipment for attack."
Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite says her country is under threat in the wake of the Ukrainian crisis.
.@Grybauskaite_LT: We have the same neighbor. We are also under threat. But we are not afraid. We are fully supporting Ukraine. #MSC2015
— Security Conference (@MunSecConf) February 7, 2015
US Vice President Joe Biden said Kiev has a right to defend itself against Russia, while maintaining the US wanted a peaceful solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
“Let me be clear, we do not believe there is a military solution in Ukraine. But let me be equally clear, we do not believe Russia has the right to do what they're doing. We believe we should attempt an honorable peace. We also believe the Ukrainian people have a right to defend themselves," he told the Munich Security Conference.
He added that Washington “will continue to provide Ukraine with security assistance.”
President @poroshenko: This crisis must be solved, not frozen. #MSC2015
— Security Conference (@MunSecConf) February 7, 2015
After meeting with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier and US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines of the Munich Conference, the UK’s Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said it’s necessary to find a political solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
“It is clear that the escalation in fighting in the east of Ukraine cannot be allowed to continue and a political solution is imperative,” he said. “Britain led the way in placing strict EU sanctions on Russia, and will continue to consider any diplomatic proposal on its merit, in pursuit of a long-lasting political outcome.”
Sergey Lavrov talks with #Lebanon PM @SalamTammam /С.Лавров с премьер-министром Ливана Т.Саламом @rusemblebpic.twitter.com/tjptDt7WOE
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) February 7, 2015
Foreign ministers of #Russia and #Italy in Munich/Главы МИД России и Италии в Мюнхене @PaoloGentiloni@rusembitalypic.twitter.com/9QnudFiqC0
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) February 7, 2015
During a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted the alliance’s military build-up on its eastern flank undermines security and provokes confrontation.
“The Russian side stated that the alliance’s decision to build up military capabilities and increase the number of military exercises near the Russian border creates additional tension and undermines the entire system of Euro-Atlantic security,” the statement read.
Sergey Lavrov w/#Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval/ С.Лавров и Советник по нацбезопасности Индии А.Довал pic.twitter.com/CUcl15QPUu
— МИД РФ (@MID_RF) February 7, 2015
Sergey Lavrov talks with #IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano /С.Лавров с Гендиректором #МАГАТЭ Ю.Амано @iaeaorgpic.twitter.com/TUpNnlUgPJ
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) February 7, 2015
The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry and his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif discussed the settlement of disputes over Teheran’s nuclear program, further development of bilateral cooperation between Russia and Iran, as well as the “most critical aspects of the Middle East agenda”, the Russian diplomatic mission told TASS.
Sergey Lavrov talks with #Iranian FM @JZarif in Munich/ С.Лавров с главой МИД Ирана М.Зарифом в Мюнхене @RusEmbIranpic.twitter.com/60KLavjfe4
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) February 7, 2015
Lavrov is having his first official meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The meeting is taking place behind closed doors, and a source from the Russian delegation told RIA-Novosti: “The mere fact of the meeting is already good [news].”
Sergey Lavrov met with @NATO Secretary General @jensstoltenberg/ Встреча С.Лаврова с Генсеком #НАТО@natomission_rupic.twitter.com/pQQNykAPn6
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) February 7, 2015
Lavrov outlined the importance of peace talks in Moscow that could lead to a solution to the Ukrainian conflict. “Russia is set to promote the peace process in Ukraine. We consistently stand against further warring, we advocate withdrawal of heavy weapons and initiating direct talks between Kiev and the militia in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions,” Russia’s foreign minister said.
The head of the Russian delegation in Munich said the West is conniving to justify Kiev’s military operation in eastern Ukraine, despite its use of internationally prohibited munitions, such as cluster weapons. “We cannot understand why in Afghanistan, Yemen and Mali the West is calling on the governments to hold talks with the opposition, in some cases even with extremists, whereas in regard to the Ukrainian crisis, the West is indulging Kiev in its military operation,” Lavrov said.
READ MORE: Lavrov: US escalated Ukraine crisis at every stage & blamed Russia
Lavrov said the expansion of the American missile shield in Europe, evidence of a “powerful and destructive impact of unilateral steps in military construction out of accord with the lawful interests of other states,” poses a real threat to Russian nuclear deterrence forces. “Our proposals to cooperate on the anti-missile strategy were repelled,” he said.
At every stage of the Ukrainian crisis Washington has been taking steps that “only promoted further aggravation of the situation,” Russian Foreign Minister added.
Delivering his speech at the Munich conference, Sergey Lavrov said that the strategic partnership between Russia and the EU “failed to pass the test,” as the EU “preferred a path of confrontation to the development of mechanisms of mutually beneficial cooperation.”
In an interview with BBC Radio 4 in Munich, UK Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond called German chancellor Angela Merkel’s initiative the “best chance” to find a solution to the Ukrainian crisis. “We will decide, together, the best way to go forward. The United States and the United Kingdom will be at that table with France and Germany,” he said, as cited by the Press Association.
Following the meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister, his Austrian counterpart Sebastian Kurz said, as cited by TASS: “We have not touched upon the topic of sanctions [against Russia], the talks were good, we discussed fighting terrorism and bilateral relations.”
Переговоры с мининдел Австрии С.Курцем/Talks with Foreign Minister of Austria Sebastian Kurz @MFA_Austria@RusBotWienpic.twitter.com/zTnezO3kTs
— МИД РФ (@MID_RF) February 7, 2015
Slovenian President Borut Pahor plans to meet Sergey Lavrov on Saturday in Munich, according to a TASS source.
The Russian foreign minister had a meeting with his Serbian counterpart, Ivica Dacic, on Saturday. According to the Serbian delegation, they touched upon the problem of the Ukrainian crisis in the context of the chairmanship of Belgrade in the OSCE, TASS reported.
Foreign ministers of #Russia & #Serbia talks in Munich/Переговоры глав МИД России и Сербии #MSC2015@AmbasadaRusijepic.twitter.com/fhrRFcYSZU
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) February 7, 2015
Europe intends to maintain security together with Russia, not against it, said the German chancellor at the Munich Security Conference. It remains unclear whether the talks in Moscow will bring positive results, but they have been meaningful, Angela Merkel assured.
"Ukrainian crisis cannot be resolved militarily," Merkel said.
Germany is dedicated to the concept of ‘big Europe’ from Lisbon to Vladivostok, said the German chancellor, stressing that “security and cooperation in Europe are possible through dialogue.
The European Union is currently going through a stage of disintegration, while Russia is asserting itself, George Soros, the head and founder of the Open Society Foundations, said at the Munich Conference as reported by RIA Novosti.
Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko isn’t planning a bilateral meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the Munich conference, Interfax quoted Poroshenko as saying.
Sergey Lavrov also met Germany’s Vice Chancellor, Minister for Economic Affairs Sigmar Gabriel on the sidelines of the Munich conference. Gabriel joked, “I’ve slept only for three hours to see you,” as cited by RIA-Novosti.
Sergey Lavrov's with #German Minister of Economy Sigmar Gabriel/ С.Лавров c мин. экономики #ФРГ З.Габриэлем #MSC2015pic.twitter.com/nF9uL4ZQ4K
— MFA Russia (@mfa_russia) February 7, 2015
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a meeting with representatives of Russian and German business at a working breakfast in Munich, RIA-Novosti reported. Among other participants, the head of Sberbank Herman Gref and the major actioner of Severstal Aleksey Mordashov were present.
Lavrov is expected to meet NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, US State Secretary John Kerry and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is scheduled to speak at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday. His speech will focus on the causes of the current crisis in international relations, TASS reported. "All the events in recent years have showed that global security and stability problems can only be solved together," Lavrov said earlier. According to him, a number of negative trends stand in the way, in particular, the "persistent attempts of the West to keep leadership in world affairs at all costs, to impose, including by force, their attitudes and values in international relations." The Russian Minister said a similar approach "has been reflected in the situation in Ukraine like in a mirror." At the last conference, the Ukrainian crisis wasn't top of the agenda. The crisis has escalated gravely since then.
RT’s Peter Oliver reports from Munich, where the world’s top diplomats have gathered for the security conference.