The Russian military build-up at the Ukrainian border and Russian extortionist tactics have sparked different reactions from EU and NATO members.
On Monday, the U.S. authorized the departure of some of its Embassy staff from Ukraine and ordered their family members to leave, fearing Russia’s large-scale military attack.
The U.K., Canadian and Australian Embassies followed suit with British PM Boris Johnson claiming that Russia has a “lightning war” plan of conquering Ukraine and the British intelligence divulging Moscow’s purported plan to overthrow the current government in Ukraine led by President Volodymyr Zelensky to install a puppet government led by Yevhen Murayev.
Yet, such a hasty and straightforward set of decisions has not found support among the EU or its member states.
On Jan. 24, Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, made it clear that the EU sees no reason to evacuate its staff despite the announcement by Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, adding, however, that “maybe, Secretary Blinken has more information that he will share with us.”
At the time of publishing, none of the EU member states, apart from Germany, have expressed an official intention to evacuate its staff or their family members from Ukraine unless the situation worsens.
Different agendas
Meanwhile, French President, Emmanuel Macron, is preparing to have a phone talk with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Jan. 28.
Speaking in Berlin alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Macron, who has vowed “to never give up dialogue with Russia,” is looking to pitch what is referred to as a new European security proposal.
Macron insists that the proposal is “a vital need for Europe to affirm its sovereignty”, echoing Europe’s decades-long attempts to establish itself as an independent geopolitical player, reducing its reliance on the U.S. and NATO.
For France, which is holding rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union until June 30, the current crisis could be an opportunity to develop the initiative.
Although Macron noted that talks with Russia “are always difficult”, he also reminded those who deplore European weakness that the dialogue led by the U.S. in recent months “did not have a concrete result either”.
