On the second day of the war started by V. Putin against Ukraine, the attitude of the states to the new military conflict in Europe became clear. So far, it is clear that, as President V. Zelensky said, Ukraine defends itself alone.
Azerbaijani Deputy Foreign Minister Araz Azimov said that the situation in Ukraine and around it causes serious concern. He stressed that the current situation should be resolved peacefully and diplomatically in accordance with the norms and principles of international law, including respect for the sovereignty of states, territorial integrity, inviolability of borders, as well as the indivisibility of security in the OSCE space. Azerbaijani President I. Aliyev did not express his attitude to the war in Ukraine.
Georgia unexpectedly refused to participate in the anti-Russian coalition. Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili announced that Georgia is not going to participate in the financial and economic sanctions imposed against Russia. He explained that “this decision will only cause damage to our country and population. This decision was made on the basis of national interests.”
Not a single person in the Armenian leadership spoke about the war in Ukraine until the evening of February 25. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that Ankara considers Russia’s operation in Ukraine a “hard blow” to regional stability and peace and calls for a solution to the crisis through dialogue.
US President John Biden announced “additional powerful sanctions and new restrictions on what can be exported to Russia.” The states intend to limit Moscow’s ability to do business in dollars, pounds and yen. In addition, Biden said that the United States will block the four largest banks, including VTB. However, Biden refuses to initiate Russia’s disconnection from the SWIFT banking system, which could, in the opinion of very many in the world, be the most severe, non-military punishment for Russia. Biden left this method of punishment in reserve.
With Russia’s recognition of the separatist entities in Ukraine as “states”, the German federal government has suspended the certification process for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline “until further notice”.
Despite the war, Germany will not supply the Ukrainian army with lethal weapons, German Economy Minister Robert Habek said. The Ambassador of Ukraine to Germany asked to help the country with the supply of weapons. Vice-Chancellor, Minister for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection of Germany Robert Habek admitted that Germany at the moment is really unable to provide assistance to Ukraine.
Statements by members of the German government are dissonant with the speech of Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who called yesterday “a terrible day for Ukraine and a gloomy day for Europe.” According to the chancellor, this is a “blatant violation of international law.” The Russian attack was “nothing justified,” he said. “Russia must stop these hostilities immediately,” Scholz demanded. According to him, Germany stands in solidarity with Ukraine and its people.
Robert Habek announced the need to abandon Russian coal and gas and build additional LNG terminals. According to him, Germany will be forced to buy gas and coal in other countries in a larger volume, since the country cannot “depend so much on a country that violates international law.”
French President Emmanuel Macron is the only one who calls V. Putin, in order, as he said, to leave the negotiation window open. Macron said that France is ready to provide Ukraine, which is now actively repulsing the Russian attack, with financial and military assistance worth 300 million euros.
Paris will impose its sanctions against Russia following the European Union (EU). According to Macron, the restrictions of Paris will affect a number of Russian citizens. Sanctions against Russia will be announced later.
Earlier, the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, called on the European Union to impose “the most severe” sanctions against Russia. Metsola noted that the new sanctions should be “urgent and strict, no one should hide from them.”
Despite the most categorical anti-Russian rhetoric in the European space, Poland refused to impose sanctions against Russia separate from the EU. According to Prime Minister Morawiecki, the country’s economy is not strong enough to impose its own sanctions against the Russian Federation.
Czech President Milos Zeman condemned Russia’s military operation in Ukraine and called for tough anti-Russian sanctions, including cutting off Russian banks from SWIFT. However, there is no general opinion about this form of punishment in the world.
Chinese Ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun urged all parties involved in the crisis to maintain restraint and avoid further escalation of the situation. “China believes that the door to a peaceful solution to the Ukrainian issue has not been completely closed and should not be closed. At present, in order to avoid escalating conflicts, China will continue to promote peace and negotiations in its own way,” Zhang said.
The Chinese diplomat noted that Beijing has repeatedly pointed out that the Ukrainian issue has a complex history, and the evolution of the situation is the result of the combined action of various factors.
This policy of Beijing was condemned by Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who said that China should join the countries that blamed Russia. According to Morrison, Beijing needs to join those countries in the world that have imposed sanctions on Russia and condemn its actions as soon as possible. Australia believes that Beijing’s actions weaken the effectiveness of sanctions against Russia.
European Union heads of state and government at an emergency summit in Brussels on Thursday, February 24, agreed on a second broad package of sanctions against Russia for invading Ukraine. “These sanctions apply to the financial sector, the energy and transport sectors, dual-use goods, as well as export controls and export financing, visa policy, additional lists of Russian individuals and new criteria for listing sanctions,” the EU said in a statement following the results. Brussels summit.
According to EU leaders, the new restrictive measures will entail “widespread and serious consequences” for Russia. The head of the European Council, Charles Michel, published the final document on the Twitter microblog, calling the new package of sanctions Brussels’ response to “Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified military aggression against Ukraine.” –0–
