After US visit, Scholz hosts Macron, Duda in Berlin for Ukraine talks

Berlin (dpa) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is scheduled to host the French and Polish heads of state in Berlin on Tuesday, building on his trip to Washington the day before, as he joins the flurry of international diplomacy aimed at avoiding war with Russia.

Scholz will meet French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish President Andrzej Duda in the German capital under the so-called “Weimer Triangle” format. They are expected to discuss efforts to de-escalate tensions along the Russian-Ukrainian border.

For Macron, the Berlin meeting follows a trip to Moscow on Monday, during which he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin that lasted over five hours, and Kiev on Tuesday, when he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The Minsk agreement – negotiated in Belarus’ capital in 2015 and aimed at ending the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine between government troops and pro-Russian rebels – is the only way to achieve peace and maintain Ukraine’s territorial integrity, Macron said on Tuesday.

Working on the implementation of the stalled peace plan in the coming weeks could lead to a stabilization of the situation and enable the start of a lasting de-escalation, he added.

During Scholz’s White House visit, US President Joe Biden stressed that Germany remained an important partner, following questions about Berlin’s commitment to its key ally.

Doubts have emerged due to Berlin’s adherence to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project with Russia, which the US and Eastern European nations have strongly criticized, as well as its reluctance to send arms to Ukraine.

Speaking alongside Scholz on Monday, Biden vowed to “bring an end to” Nord Stream 2 if Russia were to invade Ukraine.

It remains unclear whether Berlin has made a similar commitment.

Tensions between the West and Russia have escalated due to a build-up of tens of thousands of Russian troops along Ukraine’s borders, prompting fears that Moscow could be planning an invasion similar to its 2014 annexation of the Crimean Peninsula.

Russia has denied having any such intentions.

Also on Tuesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russian troops would leave Belarus as soon as they complete joint military manoeuvres there.

“For those of you following this closely, no one ever said that Russian troops were going to stay on Belarusian territory,” said the spokesperson in comments carried by the Interfax news agency.

The Kremlin has moved significant numbers of personnel and supplies to Minsk for the training, due to start on Thursday.

Leaders throughout Europe are intensifying their diplomatic efforts to reduce tensions after Moscow massed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders. More recently it has sent military aircraft to Belarus – which also borders Ukraine – for military exercises that are expected to involve thousands more Russian troops.

Some observers argue that the Kremlin is hoping the stand-off will force the NATO defence alliance to make concessions.