“The time for negotiation is not for tomorrow”, assure the French and German Defense Ministers on Thursday January 23 on LCI.
Guests of Darius Rochebin, Sébastien Lecornu and Boris Pistorius do not detect “any particular desire from Moscow to negotiate” peace with kyiv.
The Franco-German couple also discussed the current state of the Russian threat to the European Union.
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Ukraine: almost three years of war
On February 24, Ukraine will enter its fourth year of war against Russia. Four years of resistance. But still no sign of peace in sight. “The time for negotiation is not for tomorrow”announced, Thursday January 23, the Minister of Defense, Sébastien Lecornu, during a joint interview on LCI with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius.
“We do not see and detect any particular desire on the Russian side to move to a negotiating table”he says, emphasizing that even the American president “Donald Trump toughens the tone with President (Vladimir) Putin”.
“Where President Zelensky evolves in his speeches (…) and tries to lead public opinion to think about the day after, the Russian side continues to intensify the fighting”affirms the Minister of the Armed Forces. “You have again an aid agenda from North Korea to Russia (…) with significant reinforcements continuing to arrive. We are unfortunately still in a time which borders more on a form of escalation than on de-escalation.”
The peace agreement must give security to Ukraine
Boris Pistorius, German Federal Minister of Defense
Among the essential conditions for a future peace treaty, Boris Pistorius sees two non-negotiable ones. “There can be no peace without involving the Ukrainians”insists the German federal minister on LCI. “The peace agreement must also provide security to Ukraine, so that Vladimir Putin does not attack this country again three or four years later. We must guarantee peace with a strong and robust observation mandate .” But, for now, “Putin has shown that he is not interested in peace negotiations.”
Russia is reinventing war. (…) From now on, we can be defeated without being invaded
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Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of Defense
According to Kaja Kallas, the head of EU diplomacy, European secret services are even warning of the probability of a Russian attack in the coming years. “Many of our national intelligence services tell us that in three to five years, Russia could test the EU’s military preparedness”she recounted during an event organized by the European Defense Agency in Brussels.
A threat taken seriously by France and Germany. “We know that Putin is rearming his country enormously, (…) he has transformed the economy into a war economy. He produces more than we have in our own stocks. Next year, there will be 1.6 million Russian soldiers”note Boris Pistorius. “He did talk about a war, about global dominance. (…) In four or five years, Putin could have created the necessary conditions to attack. If he really attacks, everything will depend on our capacity of deterrence.”
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Nevertheless, “There is no information to suggest that there are plans to attack European Union countries in the short term”reassures his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu. Before citing countries, such as Georgia and Moldova, which could “be subject to destabilization in the short or medium term”. “We must be vigilant. These are vulnerable countries and in which Russian interference is numerous”he warns.
“Russia is reinventing war. From now on, we can also be defeated without being invaded”warns the Minister of Defense, referring to “Russian Ghost Ships” or “attacks on submarine cables and European energy infrastructure”. “It’s not as simple as tanks or peace anymore. There’s this whole gray area where you’re not completely at war or completely at peace.”
