Political scientist Kalachev called the meeting between President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov a signal to the Russians
Sergei Lavrov and Vladimir Putin. Photo: Alexey Nikolsky / RIA Novosti
The head of the Political Expert Group, Konstantin Kalachev, considered the meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov a signal to the Russians. He spoke about this in an interview with Lenta.ru.
According to Kalachev, the main message of the meeting is that the Russian authorities will continue to negotiate with NATO countries on security guarantees. He stressed that Putin's words at the meeting with Lavrov can be considered directed at people who do not want an escalation between Russia and Ukraine.
In addition, the conversation was aimed at cutting the ground from under the feet of those who claim that Russia is a deliberate aggressor and that war is inevitable. “Are you saying that war is inevitable? No, we remain on our positions, we need security guarantees, not war. We are a peaceful country, but ready to stand up for our national interests,” the political scientist emphasized.
There is an opportunity to reach an agreement
The fact that Russia has the opportunity to agree with NATO on security guarantees in Europe was also stated by Sergey Lavrov during the conversation. He reminded Putin that the Russian side in dialogue with the alliance insists that endless talks on issues that need to be resolved now are unacceptable. “But still, being the head of the Foreign Ministry, I must say that there is always a chance,” the minister concluded.
At the same time, Lavrov noted Moscow's regular contacts with representatives of Western countries, both held and planned. “Still, our consistent explanatory work and commitment to explaining our innocence and, while being ready to listen to serious counterarguments, it seems to me that our possibilities are far from being exhausted,” he added. In his opinion, at this stage he was invited to “continue and build up” discussions.
In addition, during the meeting, Vladimir Putin approved the text of the Foreign Ministry's response to NATO and the EU. As Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov explained, diplomats are currently finalizing the text, which will be subsequently sent.
There will be no invasion
In recent months, statements have been made in Kiev and in the West about the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. For example, US President Joe Biden said that Russia would attack Ukraine on February 16. Moscow categorically denies allegations of aggressive plans.
At the same time, the possibility of escalation is also denied in Ukraine. Ukrainian Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov refused to believe in an attack on Kiev, calling the “apocalyptic scenario” stupidity. Did not see the prerequisites for a full-scale invasion of Russia and the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky even declared February 16, 2022 the Day of Unity. The head of state signed a decree “On urgent measures to consolidate Ukrainian society”, in which he instructed to raise the state flag on houses and buildings throughout the country on February 16, and to play the national anthem at 10:00. In addition, he called on all officials who left the country or have such plans to return back within 24 hours.
