WE REPEAT OUR CALL ON RUSSIA TO RESPECT FORMAT NORMANDIE ENGAGEMENT OVER DONBASS

USPA NEWS - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned Russia on Monday November 15 against any new “aggressive action” on the border with Ukraine where “significant and unusual” Russian troop movements have been observed these last weeks. NATO Secretary General says the device is dangerous because it shortens the alert time if Russia decides to lead an aggressive military offensive against Ukraine. He said: “Any further provocation or aggressive action on the part of Russia would be of great concern. We call on Russia to be transparent about its military activities, ”he said at a press conference in Brussels alongside the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba. Indeed, since Saturday, the American Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian had also been alert on "the intense Russian military activity". And on Monday, faced with Vladimir Putin's refusal to convene a summit in the “Format Normandie” (Russia, Ukraine, France, Germany), (which was scheduled for November 11) they stressed that a Russian incursion would have serious consequences.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned Russia on Monday November 15 against any new “aggressive action” on the border with Ukraine where “significant and unusual” Russian troop movements have been observed these last weeks. NATO Secretary General says the device is dangerous because it shortens the alert time if Russia decides to lead an aggressive military offensive against Ukraine. He said: “Any further provocation or aggressive action on the part of Russia would be of great concern. We call on Russia to be transparent about its military activities, ”he said at a press conference in Brussels alongside the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kouleba. Indeed, since Saturday, the American Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian had also been alert on "the intense Russian military activity". And on Monday, faced with Vladimir Putin's refusal to convene a summit in the “Format Normandie” (Russia, Ukraine, France, Germany), (which was scheduled for November 11) they stressed that a Russian incursion would have serious consequences. Moreover, at the end of the international conference on Libya which was held in Paris on Friday, November 12, the French head of State Emmanuel Macron had thus responded to the press: «  The ministers held a meeting and they reiterated in this regard what the Chancellor, and the President of the Italian Council and myself, were able to say about the respect of the Minsk agreements, of the process of " Normandy Format "and the importance of the Ukrainian question. Madame the Chancellor had the opportunity to meet with the President Poutine yesterday (Thursday 11 November) and I will exchange with President Poutine in the next few days ... Today, President Macron has indeed expressed to his counterpart Russian Vladimir Poutine "our strong concern and our will to defend the whole of Ukraine's territory", according to the French presidency (Source Elysee), in reaction to the deployment of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border. US Secretary Antony Blinken had been alarmed since Friday “Our concern is that Russia is making the grave mistake of trying to reproduce what it did in 2014, when it amassed its forces along the border and entered into sovereign Ukrainian territory, while wrongly claiming to have been provoked ”. He also added that "We have no clarity on Moscow's intentions but we know its strategy," on November 12 during a press conference with his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kouleba. JOINT STATEMENT BY M. JEAN-YVES LE DRIAN, MINISTER FOR EUROPE AND FOREIGN AFFAIRS, AND M. HEIKO MAAS, FEDERAL FOREIGN MINISTER OF GERMANY---------------------------------------------------------------- Ukraine, November 15, 2021  "We, the Foreign Ministers of Germany and France, met today in Brussels with the Foreign Minister of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, on the sidelines of the Eastern Partnership Foreign Ministers’ Meeting. Germany and France are steadfast in their unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. Against the backdrop of renewed concerns about Russian movements of troops and hardware near Ukraine, we call on Russia to adopt a posture of restraint and provide transparent information about its military activities. Any new attempt to undermine Ukraine’s territorial integrity would have serious consequences. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  We called on Ukraine to maintain a posture of restraint. Already in Spring 2021, Ukraine contributed significantly to the de-escalation of the situation, despite Russian aggressive rhetoric and failure to provide transparent information in line with its international obligations. We also shared concerns about the deteriorating humanitarian and security situation in Donbas. We called on Ukraine to continue the full implementation of the Minsk agreements and to maintain its full engagement into the discussions conducted in the Format Normandie.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  We remain committed to the resolution of the conflict on the basis of the Minsk agreements. We express regret that Russia has repeatedly refused to meet at the level of Foreign Ministers in the Normandy Format and once more express our readiness to meet and engage constructively and substantially. We repeat our call on Russia to do the same in order to achieve lasting peace in Donbas.  Germany, France and Ukraine will continue to exchange and coordinate closely on all matters of common interest and concern." Source: French Ministry fo Foreign Affairs