Russian president warns Europe there will be ‘no winners’ if they intervene
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned Europe that countries across the continent could be dragged into a military conflict if Ukraine decides to join NATO.
Russian troops have been gathering on the Ukrainian border for months now and the neighbouring nation has been calling on assistance from NATO forces to send ships to defend the Black Sea and aid with reconnaissance. They are now looking to become the 31st country in the organisation to ensure added security.
The US are the latest to deploy troops to the region but after meeting with French President, Emmanuel Macron, Putin has warned there will be “no winners” if Ukraine attempted to “get Crimea back” and the alliance attempts to intervene.
After 5 hours of talks, there’s no resolution to the Ukraine crisis. But Putin & Macron did agree to keep talking. Our report for @BBCNews (in which I reveal the Russian word for “no one will shake your hand”) https://t.co/ndgdtTVeXd Camera @mattgodtv Producer @BBCWillVernon pic.twitter.com/nIlHU9V2RF
— Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) February 7, 2022
Macron and the Russian leader met in Moscow on Monday and although the two found “points of convergence” in terms of possible resolution according to CNN, they were unable to reach an agreement in more than five hours of discussion.
Macron insisted that many of Putin’s ideas were “too early to talk about” but said the “the risk of destabilisation is increasing” as American mobilisation in Poland and Romania hinges on a tentative balance.
With war clouds gathering over Ukraine, international diplomacy has gone into overdrive with the French and Russian presidents to talk in Moscow and the German chancellor heading to the White Househttps://t.co/Zd395069eI pic.twitter.com/V2aerCJGQG
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) February 7, 2022
While there has not yet been a breakthrough, Prime Minister Boris Johnson insists “diplomacy can prevail”.
However, the UK government has said it is committed to sending troops to defend Ukraine should Russia decide to invade and the PM is reportedly prepared to double the amount of troops in Eastern Europe if the situation continues to escalate.
Putin has suggested that it is NATO that is continuing to pose a threat and hampering diplomacy.
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