Despite ongoing tensions at the Ukrainian-Russian border, the West and Russia will aim to use diplomacy this week to resolve the longstanding issues. The Kremlin, according to AFP, informed the US of its stance on Ukraine on Monday, the news agency said quoting a US state department spokesperson.
The confirmation comes hours before officials from both sides are expected to hold telephone conversations later today. The letter was in response to the Biden administration’s letter on resolving the crisis. US secretary of state Antony Blinken and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov will hold a phone call on Tuesday morning.
Tuesday is also important as both Russia and the leaders of the western nations hold diplomatic talks to prepare for any eventualities. Embattled UK prime minister Boris Johnson will meet Ukrainian PM Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. “It is the right of every Ukrainian to determine how they are governed. As a friend and a democratic partner, the UK will continue to uphold Ukraine’s sovereignty in the face of those who seek to destroy it,” the UK PM said in a statement, accessed by the news agency.
Johnson stuck to his stance taken previous week where he urged Russia and its president Vladimir Putin to step back and engage in diplomacy. Putin and Johnson are also scheduled to meet later this week though a date has not been confirmed announcing their meeting.
Meanwhile, Russia is engaging in diplomacy as Vladimir Putin discussed the Ukraine tensions and concerns over security in Europe with French president Emmanuel Macron. “The leaders expressed their views on the situation regarding Ukraine as well as issues related to providing Russia with long-term and legally-binding security guarantees,” the Kremlin said in a statement. The French presidency said that both heads of states welcomed “positive progress” following discussions between Russian, French, German and Ukrainian diplomats.
Hungary and Poland Leaders To Meet Putin, Zelensky
Hungary and Poland, both members of the European Union (EU) and the North Atlantic Treaty Alliance (NATO), will hold meetings with Russia and Ukraine respectively. Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban will be hosted by Russian president Vladimir Putin later today. Hungary has taken a softer approach to the whole crisis and said that it wants peace and de-escalation citing the Ukraine – with which it shares a small border – is important to central Europe. Poland, a close ally of Hungary and Viktor Orban, resents its neighbour’s ties to Putin. The Polish prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki will travel to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky later today.
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