Russia (bbabo.net), - Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks in the Kremlin with the new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. This is the first face-to-face conversation between a Russian leader and a German counterpart since he took office. Previously, they only communicated by phone. Although Berlin and Moscow have many bilateral topics to discuss, this time most of the meeting is devoted to the global agenda and the security situation in Europe and Ukraine.
"We will devote a significant part of our time to discussing the security situation in Europe and the discussions that are now so acute on this issue, including in connection with the events around Ukraine," the Russian president said at the beginning of the meeting. Putin recalled that recently French President Emmanuel Macron came to Moscow for talks, with whom European security issues were also discussed. “I know that he informed you about the essence of the issues that were raised during our discussion. And, of course, it would be very useful for me in this regard, it would be interesting to hear your own assessments of what is happening,” Vladimir Putin said.
Olaf Scholz, in turn, said that now there is a difficult situation with peace and security in Europe, and the very possibility of a conversation in these conditions is important.
"We must communicate, as you already did with my French colleague, and I am glad that now it has become possible for us to discuss all this. It is very important that relations between states are always resolved through dialogue," the Chancellor said.
Meanwhile, despite the global agenda of negotiations, Putin still dwelled on bilateral relations, calling Germany the main trade and economic partner in Europe. “Despite all the difficulties of the pandemic period, the year before last we had a slight adjustment in trade, but last year it grew by more than 36 percent. This, of course, is a good indicator,” the Russian president said. Putin noted that hundreds of German companies operate in Russia and they have invested over $20 billion in the Russian economy. "The Russians, for their part, have also invested somewhere a little more than $10 billion - this is also a good contribution to the development of the German economy, maintaining jobs," Putin said.
Energy is one of the priority areas in cooperation between the two countries. "Russia has been a reliable supplier of energy resources for a very long time, decades. There has not been a single failure in the supply of energy resources from Russia in all these decades, everything is done on market principles, and there are absolutely no questions and doubts," the head of state stressed.
Vladimir Putin to Olaf Scholz: The Federal Republic of Germany is one of our priority partners in general, and in Europe in particular
In general, Vladimir Putin noted that participants in economic activity in the two countries have known each other for a very long time and their level of trust is high. “Moreover, we have made a decision, and it is to a certain extent unprecedented, that we have allowed German partners to access mining assets. We are working together in organizing transport supplies, and our companies are working in the Federal Republic,” the Russian president said.
It should be noted that since the beginning of the year, the Russian leader has already received the Hungarian Prime Minister and the French President in the Kremlin, with whom he also discussed security guarantees and the internal Ukrainian situation. In addition, Putin had lengthy telephone conversations with the US President and the British Prime Minister. Chancellor F arrived in Moscow from Kiev, where he had a meeting with the President of Ukraine.
Hundreds of German companies operate in Russia, and they have invested over $20 billion in the Russian economy
On the eve of the meeting, the Kremlin expressed the hope that the talks between the leaders of Russia and F would be constructive, businesslike and useful. "Negotiations are being held so that the president and the chancellor can explain their approaches to each other," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. He also said that in addition to security issues, the negotiations will also touch upon the issue of Nord Stream 2.
Lavrov: The very initiative of Russia on European security shook the West Text: Yevgeny Shestakov On Tuesday, February 15, the statement by the official representative of the Russian defense department, Major General Igor Konashenkov, about the return of units of the Southern and Western military districts that completed their tasks to their places of permanent deployment, became natural a continuation of the meetings that took place on Monday with the President of Russia.In the course of a report made by Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the head of the foreign policy department called the responses to his message on the subject of the indivisibility of security "unsatisfactory", but stressed: "Russia's very initiative on European security has shaken the West." According to the minister, Moscow's possibilities in the matter of dialogue with partners in Europe and the United States are "far from exhausted" and at this stage the negotiations should be "continued and intensified." At a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Sergei Shoigu, the Minister of Defense reported on the details of the incident with an American submarine that violated the maritime border of the Russian Federation. "It took almost three hours to force the crew of the submarine to leave the territory of Russian waters," Shoigu said. All this happened against the backdrop of Washington's inflated information hysteria regarding the allegedly impending "Russian invasion" of Ukraine. While Russia was striving to give momentum to the negotiation process, offering interested parties a dialogue on security issues, the American side sent a submarine into our territorial waters. Like that Vaska, who "listens and eats."
The minister also informed the head of state about the course of the exercises that are taking place in the Western Military District and in all fleets. It can be assumed that Konashenkov's current statement about the return of troops was the result of instructions following the meetings with Lavrov and Shoigu.
The Russian Foreign Ministry proceeds from the fact that in recent weeks the situation in the world has changed significantly and irrevocably. As Sergei Lavrov said at a meeting with Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, "in combination, it is possible to work out a very good package result" on the topic of mutual security guarantees. Now there is such a chance, and it is real. relations with Russia, taking unfriendly, sometimes deliberately provocative decisions, now, from the point of view of Moscow, positive trends have appeared.
We are not talking about the "retreat" of the West, but rather about a positional truce with Moscow, which is not correct and not logical to perceive as the "end of history." Rather, it is the end of an old, exhausted history and the beginning of a "new" one. As Lavrov noted, on many topics they are now ready to talk with Russia and listen to its arguments. A loose, still insufficiently cultivated, but still ground for a future compromise appeared. In contrast to the seemingly endless negotiating swamp in which Moscow's diplomatic efforts have so far been bogged down when it came to its national interests, "red lines" and indivisible security on the European continent. The firm and consistent line of the Kremlin, backed up along with effective military moves along with negotiation, made the hotheads in Kiev, and not only in Kiev, "cool".
Intensive negotiations began in various formats with the United States and NATO - the same dialogue that Moscow has been calling for for many years and which our opponents completely ignored. European politicians, ripped off by the emerging diplomatic tsunami from their homes, are now in a hurry to take part in a new negotiation process with Russia, so as not to remain on the sidelines without the right to vote in the future. Backed up by the political will of the Russian leadership, which showed its readiness to defend the interests of the country uncompromisingly, where necessary with the help of force, the dialogue on security issues moved off the ground. And now even Poland is proposing that we resume a dialogue on European security within the framework of the OSCE, which the Russian Foreign Ministry considered an "interesting proposal."
Today, it is important to cool the situation somewhat, to resume the dialogue in full without preconditions
So far, we are seeing only the first signs of a potential détente, but even in the current tense situation, they are a very serious result. Today, it is important to cool the situation somewhat, to resume without preconditions in full dialogue on all diplomatic tracks that were previously "deserted". And it happened not through the fault of Moscow.
Of course, the responsibility of Russia and its desire to agree in a good way, reckless heads across the ocean can be considered weakness. But this time there is hope that they will not play the first fiddle in the conversation between Russia and the West. Everyone has already felt the strength and determination of Russia in upholding national interests, and now it depends on our negotiating partners in what direction and at what pace the further dialogue will proceed. Will the crazy race of anti-Russian sanctions continue, accompanied by Russophobic hysteria, which only drives the situation to a standstill and burns out the efforts of diplomats?Or the negotiation process starts from scratch with a clear goal - to achieve stability that will suit everyone. No matter how events unfold in the future, it is clear that the current crisis has already given rise to a new reading by the West of Russian security requirements. Our European neighbors now have an understanding of what irreparable consequences a demonstrative disregard for Moscow's position can lead to. Although it is still not clear whether there is such an understanding among the tandem of the Anglo-Saxons - Britain and the United States, although, of course, I would like to believe in their foreign policy pragmatism.
"It is necessary to abandon the vision according to which the United States is a global policeman who is trying to restore order everywhere," Italian State Council Chairman Franco Frattini said in an interview with RIA Novosti. However, it is doubtful whether a consolidated position of the West on this matter is possible at the current stage.
Russia is ready for a dialogue on security issues, Russia proposes to consider these issues "in a package", Russia is not going to give in and retreat when it comes to its national interests. Because today Russia has enough strength and capabilities to protect its territory and its citizens, wherever they are - this is our main and principled message to the West.
Opinions
Nobody will risk ignoring Russian interests
Anatoly Dergilev, Colonel of the Reserve:- I regard the actions of the Russian authorities and the military in the current situation as thoughtful and balanced. The dialogue, from which NATO and the United States stubbornly shied away earlier, has finally begun. Nobody will risk ignoring Russian interests now. At the same time, not a single Russian soldier or even a drone violated anyone's borders. All maneuvers were carried out on the territory of our country, allied Belarus and in neutral waters.
At the same time, "hot heads" in Kiev received a tub of cold water. They realized that their "Western partners" were ready to support them only in words. And as soon as at least some threat loomed on the horizon, by the way, invented by them themselves, the West believed in its fiction so much that it got scared and showed how ready it was to support Ukraine. The evacuation of embassies, the ban on flights, the recommendation to their citizens not to travel to Ukraine - Ukrainian pro-Western politicians received such "support". Many Ukrainian oligarchs and officials left the country in a hurry that President Zelensky even had to urge them to return.
An important result of the exercises is also the demonstration of how quickly we have learned to deploy groupings of troops, to transfer them over considerable distances. This will not allow the Ukrainian "hawks" to count on a blitzkrieg in a potential attack on the Donbass.
Sergey Lipovoy, Hero of Russia, Major General:
- On the one hand, we made it clear to the world that Russia and Belarus maintain friendly, fraternal relations and are ready to join forces in the event of a conflict. On the other hand, we do not act out predatory scenarios in our exercises. Our task is to protect the frontiers, and nothing more. We do not rehearse any of the attacks that foreign leaders are so fond of shouting about. And we have the right to defend our borders, and we will do it in such a way that those who encroach on them completely forget the way to Russia.
As for the prospects, now everything depends not on the army, but on politicians. We are working out various scenarios in exercises, "stretching the muscles" of the state so as not to be taken by surprise, but we are counting on a calm settlement of differences between countries.
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