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LAST UPDATE | 27 Jan 2022
UKRAINE HAS WELCOMED Russia’s plans to continue talks in early February as “good news” and a sign that Moscow was intent on finding a diplomatic solution to the current crisis.
Relations between Russia and the West have reached their lowest point since the Cold War after Moscow deployed tens of thousands of troops on the border of pro-Western Ukraine, raising fears of an invasion.
Russia denies any plans to invade but last month put forward demands for wide-ranging security guarantees from the West, including that Ukraine never be allowed to join the US-led Nato military alliance.
In response, the US and other Nato member states have been conducting intense diplomacy with Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent days, as well as providing military reinforcement to Ukraine.
Senior Russian and Ukrainian officials met for eight hours in Paris yesterday with representatives of France and Germany.
“The good news is that advisors agreed to meet in Berlin in two weeks, which means that at least for the next two weeks, Russia is likely to remain on a diplomatic track,” Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters in Copenhagen after talks with his Danish counterpart.
He noted that while there were “no big changes” after yesterday’s meeting, “the agreement to continue discussions is good”.
Nonetheless, he called for the West to strengthen its military and defence cooperation with Kyiv.
“While I am a big fan of soft power, I’m afraid that this is really the time for hard power to be used”.
“A strong Ukraine is the best deterrence measure in itself”.
He also commended the US administration for “consulting with us before they speak with the Russians”.
But he recalled that Kyiv “will not allow anyone, even our friends, to impose any concessions on us” and insisted it was up to Russia to make concessions.
Meanwhile, Denmark has announced an aid package of 550 million kroner (€74 million) for Ukraine between 2022 and 2026.
“Every country can do something if it has political will. And when it doesn’t, it finds excuses to do nothing”, Kuleba said in a thinly-veiled swipe at Germany, which has refused to provide weapons to Ukraine.
US ‘failing’
Meanwhile, Russia has said that the United States was failing to address its main security concerns over Ukraine but left the door open to further talks to ease tensions.
The United States yesterday delivered a reply in coordination with Nato allies, rejecting any ban on Ukraine, but offering what it called a new “diplomatic path” out of the crisis.
In its first reaction to the reply, the Kremlin was unimpressed.
“It cannot be said that our views were taken into account, or that a readiness to take our concerns into account was demonstrated,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“Let’s not rush into assessments, it takes time to analyse,” he said, adding that the documents were with President Vladimir Putin.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow’s chief concern – the potential for Ukraine to join Nato – had been ignored, but that it would be possible to move forward on other issues.
“There was no positive response to the main question,” Lavrov said in a statement, but “there is a response which gives hope for the start of a serious conversation on secondary questions”.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said yesterday that he would speak again in the coming days to Lavrov.
Blinken said the reply, which would remain confidential, “sets out a serious diplomatic path forward should Russia choose it”.
He renewed an offer on “reciprocal” measures to address mutual security concerns, including reductions of missiles in Europe and transparency on military drills and Western aid to Ukraine.
‘Nato’s door is open’
But he made clear that the United States would not budge on Russia’s core demand that Ukraine never be allowed to join Nato.
“Nato’s door is open, remains open, and that is our commitment,” Blinken said.
Russia, which has a fraught historical relationship with Ukraine, has fuelled an insurgency in the former Soviet republic’s east that has killed more than 13,000 people since 2014.
Russia that year also seized Crimea after the overthrow of a pro-Russian government in Kyiv.
The United States has warned of severe and swift consequences if Russia invades, including possible personal sanctions on Putin, and Nato has put 8,500 troops on standby.
“While we are hoping for and working for a good solution – de-escalation – we are also prepared for the worst,” Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said yesterday.
The US again encouraged its citizens to leave Ukraine, warning an invasion could be imminent.
But Ukraine’s government, hoping to prevent panic, has played down the dangers and sought to offer ways out.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters the Russian troops posed “a threat to Ukraine” but that the numbers deployed were “insufficient for a full-scale offensive.”
Andriy Yermak, an advisor to President Volodymyr Zelensky who took part in the Paris talks, wrote on Twitter that the meeting was “a strong signal of readiness for a peaceful settlement.”
China
China’s Foreign Minister told his American counterpart today that Russia’s “reasonable security concerns should be taken seriously and resolved”, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.
In the call with Secretary of State Antony Blinken that focused on tensions over Ukraine, Wang Yi also said “regional security cannot be guaranteed by strengthening or even expanding military blocs”.
“All parties should completely abandon the Cold War mentality and form a balanced, effective and sustainable European security mechanism through negotiation,” Wang said.
“Russia’s reasonable security concerns should be taken seriously and resolved.”
Blinken sought to impress upon Beijing the “global security and economic risks posed by further Russian aggression against Ukraine”, according to State Department spokesman Ned Price.
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The Journal gets large grants and subsidies from the EU and it’s subsidiaries. So it’s journalists get prizes from the institute that pays their wages.
No need for a “debunking Fact Check” on this
@Denis Slattery: Yes: no need for debunking of something that you simply made up.
@Denis Slattery: whoa there, a deep & groundbreaking investigation into missing child migrants & this ridiculous petty ‘what aboutery’ is your input????
@Denis Slattery: Now you know two wallys that work for the journal
@Pewpew Tin: You’re one sad little virgin. You are lucky your oul one lets you squat in her box room.
@Pewpew Tin: necro creep, Saville would be proud of you. Your parents aren’t
@Pewpew Tin: Had dinner with my family, listen that empty hole in your life can’t be filled with food. Sad lonely little virgin strung out for attention he never got :)
@Pewpew Tin: oooh sick burn virgin haha
@Pewpew Tin: Im actually chuffed, I haven’t been spanked by a virgin in years
@Denis Slattery: And the source for your allegation ‘large grants’ is…?
Would some of these actually be adults that came in whilst posing as children
@Thomas Sheridan: maybe, some, but that’s the usual daily mail type reaction that misses the broader point
@Thomas Sheridan: Saw a post about a 16 year old missing migrant last week with advanced male pattern baldness. Are these lads actually around minors? Is there anyone with working eyeballs in Tusla?
They don’t care, they literally do not care, more migration bigger GDP, bigger population bigger GDP, less wealth to spread around, we all get poorer as the economy gets slightly bigger through consumption.
How many Irish children go missing every year? How many awards? Oh, right, I forgot, nobody cares!
Well done and congratulations to The Journal Investigates. Hopefully their colleagues, The Journal moderators, can do equally excellent work to clear up the multi account spammers who infect this comment section on a constant, daily basis
@Kevin Kerr: here here!!!! Funny thing is I don’t actually mind your stalking but I do get that some would be intimidated 0 fearful of your behaviour
@Kevvy kerrr: fck off
@Kevin Kerr: hi stalker, deep meaningful polite rhetoric as always!!! Right back at ya!!!! Genuine question — why you pick me????
@Kevin Kerr: Yeah be deffo good to see the back of all Stephen Kearons multiple accounts like Pat_Hazzard, noel_lee etc and the likes of the honeybadger and that hoo woo thing..all the crazy trump and kamalla bots .. and the far righ bots including the Israelis, the far left bots
@Kevin Kerr: appreciate you’re only trolling … but keep it civil, no need to go in the gutter
Missing children immigrants is one thing but when some 39 year old illegal immigrant who has destroyed their passport on a cheap flight from say Afghanistan, Nigeria or Algeria identifies as a 14 year old, well that’s another story, just not by the Journal.
Excellent work journal news hounds! You guys are the best
@Buster Lawless: yes 100%, no stone left unturned!!!!
@J B: more like an IRA nutting squad they are that ruthless.
Comments open
@Jb Walshe: It would appear so. Well spotted.
@Stephen Heffernan: perhaps they should recruit ‘jb walshe’ onto the investigative team, like a poiroit crossed with morse he is
@Jb Walshe: Nothing gets past you JB. I wonder will you be nominated for an award for that ground breaking piece of analysis.
They both folded their arms for the photo so they must be serious journalists. Congratulations on your reward, it must feel like getting a pat on the head from daddy when you used the potty for the first time, going by the pictures it wasn’t all that long ago.
Kudos! Great to see some real journalism happening, having an impact and being acknowledged.
Surely there’s some kind of accolade -award for this outstanding ( & dangerous) investigative journalism?. Then again, I’ve no doubt Patricia & Maria are in this for back slapping, well done guys, outstanding work
@Kevvy kerrr: they deserve the Roger Cook award. He was fearless.
@Kevvy kerrr: “ARE’NT” ,, bloody predictive text
@Buster Lawless: well, nobody could possibly argue with that!!!!
@Frank Mc Carthy: An entire comment thread, talking to yourself. Wow.
@FlipBip: I’ve been looking for ages for the journal.ie to carry out an investigation AND CULL of all the looners on here, even got my v own private stalker but as yet, nothing
@Frank Mc Carthy: Cool story.
@Frank Mc Carthy: once again. You should reply using the same account you posted the original on Frank / Kevvy / (I am suspecting) Buster. Now that was a massive faux pas, correcting the content of the message which was incorrectly written due to predictive text, FROM THE WRONG ACCOUNT!! Now I already knew you and Kevvy were the same person from a few days back when both accounts misspelled Kamala as Kamila in the space of a few mins of each other on separate threads. But I have a serious question to ask, would you mind answering? Have you got any form of life? How pathetic is it that you feel the need to have multiple journal accounts? You’re an embarrassing sad case tbf.
@Eoin Jackson: pewpewtim is one of theirs too and possibly freedapeople too imo.
@Eoin Jackson: what is this all about?
@Chutes: ….. and most likely Larry Betts, imo.
@Buster Lawless: methinks the multi account trolls are amalgating?????
@Chutes: what happened to ‘d paedo’ & ‘ offside again ‘….. Weren’t they under ye’re umbrella????
@Kevvy kerrr: yes I’m a multi troll account Kevvy / Frank, just been dormant for nearly 12 years, you absolute twit.
@Kevvy kerrr: Stop projecting. Stop imitating other people’s accounts. Stop being such a child!
The journal is not exactly a balanced view, everyone needs to be aware of this when reading their biased mediocre articles!
My comments have been removed twice from this article . Why ?
Congratulations to all involved. It’s not easy operating in the current environment. Respect for effort and diligence is now dismissed with nothing more than a bunch of Trumpian sound bites and clichés. If someone doesn’t like the facts, it’s the usual ‘fake news’ or MSM conspiracy. Zero engagement with the actual information and indeed reality.
They recently had a deep dive into the social media posts that provoked the riots in England during the summer. Incredibly or perhaps unsurprisingly, two thirds were from places thousands of miles away. It would be really interesting to find out how many of the posts here are from Irish people or accounts. Is this something Journal Investigates could do?
We all know there’s a huge volume of posts from abroad seeking to normalise extreme views and pull people further away from moderate and empathetic approaches to people and life. This drip feed is intended to make dangerous and inhumane policies appear normal and acceptable. We know from history and the current climate that this works. Maybe a breakdown of the exact numbers will help some people to realise that so many of these posts are not Irish and are simply there to pull us further away from a baseline of decency.
Always remember that these kind of comment sections are infested with bad actors from groups with the sole aim of stirring unrest and hate to further their political aims. There’s still a lot of decency in most Irish people. Let’s not be duped into believing everyone is now a frothing, hateful Trump supporter who sees nothing wrong with Putin, and couldn’t care less about injustice and suffering elsewhere.,
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