French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday called on the other members of the European Union to jointly draw up proposals for a new security agreement with Russia in the coming weeks, including "sincere dialogue" with Moscow.
He did not specify what the "new order of security and stability" he is seeking would include, but said he must ensure that Europe defends its interests.
"We will make sure that Europe's unique and strong voice is heard," he said in the European Parliament, presenting France's priorities for the six-month EU presidency.
Earlier yesterday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken warned during a visit to Ukraine that Russia could launch another attack in the "very short term", but that Washington would continue diplomacy as long as it could.
So far, the EU has not been involved in negotiations with Russia. Some European countries fear that they are being bypassed and that their security concerns are being ignored while Russia and Washington negotiate directly, with some coordination with the EU.
"It is good that there is coordination between the Europeans and the US, but it is necessary for the Europeans to conduct their own dialogue," Macron said. "We must put together a joint proposal, a joint version, a new order of security and stability in Europe".
He added that he would share the proposal with NATO allies before discussing it with Russia.
Macron, who favors the EU having its own "strategic autonomy" in defense, said the bloc must put itself in a position to ensure it "can be respected", including by making sure it is not too dependent on of Russia in energy supply.
He said that France and Germany want to continue looking for a solution to the tensions surrounding Ukraine in talks with both Russia and Ukraine.
The Kremlin has said that tensions over Ukraine are rising and that it is still waiting for a written response from the US to comprehensive demands for security guarantees from the West.
Russia will not agree to anything less than a ban on NATO expansion
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who led the Russian delegation to talks with the US in Geneva last Sunday, reiterated that Moscow has no intention of attacking Ukraine, but that getting those guarantees is imperative for Moscow.
Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that NATO would soon send written proposals to Russia, responding to its security demands and proposing serious talks on arms control and transparency measures.
Ryabkov said that there can be no meaningful talks on these issues if the West does not heed Russia's main demands for non-expansion of NATO. He added that Ukraine's ever-closer ties with NATO allies represent a major security challenge for Russia.
"We see the threat of Ukraine becoming even more integrated into NATO, even without gaining formal NATO member status," Ryabkov said, pointing to Western powers supplying Ukraine with weapons, training its troops and conducting joint exercises.
"It's something that goes right to the heart of Russia's national security interests, and we're going to do our best to reverse that situation."
Ryabkov categorically rejected the idea of Russia accepting a moratorium on NATO's eastward expansion, which was put forward by some political experts, saying that the West had not fulfilled its earlier promises. He emphasized that the priority for Russia is unquestionable and legally binding guarantees that Ukraine and other former Soviet states will not join the alliance.
Blinken: Russia could attack in the short term
During his visit to Kyiv yesterday, Blinken said that Ukrainians should prepare for difficult days. He added that Washington will continue to provide defense assistance to Ukraine and repeated the promise of harsh sanctions against Russia in the event of a new invasion.
He promised "tireless diplomatic efforts to prevent new aggression and to promote dialogue and peace." He added that the build-up of Russian troops near the borders of Ukraine is happening without "any provocation, for no reason".
"We know that there are plans to even further increase these forces in a very short term, which allows President (Vladimir) Putin to take additional aggressive action against Ukraine, also in a very short term," he said.
He did not specify how soon Russia might move. Independent security analysts say they do not believe Moscow has yet assembled the logistical and medical units it would need to launch an attack quickly.
Russia has also deployed troops in Belarus for what it says are joint military exercises, so it has the option to attack Ukraine from the north, east and south.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters yesterday that the talks between Blinken and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, scheduled for tomorrow in Geneva, are "extremely important."
Blinken said that he would not hand Lavrov a written response to the Russian proposals, which Moscow has repeatedly requested.
Zelenski called on citizens to remain calm
Vladimir Frolov, a former Russian diplomat who is now a foreign policy analyst, says Moscow is seeking a much more comprehensive overhaul of the European security order.
"The Lavrov-Blinken meeting is probably the last stop before the train crashes. However, hopes are low, positions are incompatible".
Describing the deployment of Russian troops in Belarus as a "huge escalation", Frolov gave a grim assessment of the crisis.
"If the US does not surrender and leave Ukraine to Russia, some kind of military option is now inevitable".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the government is doing everything it can to resolve the situation through diplomacy and that citizens should remain calm.
"Keep a cool head, have confidence in your strength, in your army and in our Ukraine," he said.
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