Why can’t Europe agree on how to deal with the crisis in Ukraine? | Ukraine-Russia Crisis News

It’s been three weeks since then diplomatic interviews The crisis in Ukraine began to subside. But Russian troops remain on the border between Ukraine and Russia.

Although the Kremlin has rejected plans to invade Ukraine, US and NATO officials have revived their military plans to prepare for all possible scenarios.

But EU leaders remain divided over what kind of response the Kremlin would prevent from threatening Ukraine.

EU officials have lamented the move away from major decisions on Ukraine, and the bloc’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has stated that “any debate on European security must involve the EU and Ukraine.”

French President Emmanuel Macron has called on the EU to finalize a proposal to negotiate with Russia.

Speaking to members of the European Parliament in Strasbourg last week, he said the security and stability plan “must first be built among Europeans and then shared with NATO allies”.

But not all EU nations agree with Macron.

Some have a confused history with Russia, preferring a transatlantic response to a separate EU proposal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called on the EU to “protect the unity of all EU Member States” in order to protect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Bruno Lete, Germany’s Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) in Brussels, told Al Jazeera: “Some EU nations have foreign policies aimed at calming Russia. Their goal is to break the Kremlin’s autocratic relationship with China and improve its economic relations with Russia.

“EU Eastern Bloc countries, which have been threatened by the Kremlin in the past, have foreign policies that seek to respond to Russia through military solutions that show strength and power.

Different attitudes have undermined Russia’s geopolitical power, according to Ivana Stradner, an intern at the American Enterprise Institute, which is working on Russia and cybersecurity.

“The Kremlin’s decision not to mention the EU in its 2021 National Security Strategy shows that Moscow does not consider the EU to be a major player in foreign policy,” he told Al Jazeera.

Germany sees it from the sidelines

As tensions with Russia escalated, the U.S. placed 8,500 troops on high alert to deploy to Eastern Europe.

NATO forces have stepped up their efforts to deploy battalions in Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia.

Countries such as Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands have also sent military aid to fortify Ukraine against further Russian attacks.

And Poland is looking to increase its presence in Eastern Europe, a movement against Russia.

Meanwhile, France is holding on more talks with Russia trying to calm the crisis.

But foreign policy experts have criticized big players like Germany, who are watching the rise of diplomacy from the sidelines.

“In the case of Germany, the new government has not been strong enough to spread its crisis because of its economic ties with Russia and its energy dependence. Nord Stream 2 pipeline. But that also makes Germany look weak, ”said Rachel Rizzo, a senior member of the Atlantic Council’s Central European Center, Al Jazeera.

However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced last week that stopping Nord Stream 2 could be considered if Russia attacked Ukraine.

Berlin has refused to support Ukraine militarily by denying arms exports to the country, however he ordered medical care.

“Germany’s ability to rely entirely on Russian gas now allows Moscow to use energy as a strategic weapon against the EU and NATO,” Stradner told Al Jazeera.

“Compared to the innocence of much of Western Europe, the countries that have been subjected to the Soviet regime understand Putin’s threat and accept Ukraine. One thing is for sure, Russia is excited to see the EU disintegrate and disintegrate so much, and that has been Moscow’s goal for years, ”he said.

Eager for a joint transatlantic response to the crisis, US President Joe Biden has called on EU leaders this week, saying it is a “very, very good meeting”.

“I fully agree with all European leaders. We’ll talk about it later, “he told reporters at the White House.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg shared a similar opinion and tweeted: “We agree that any attack by Russia on Ukraine will have serious costs.”

At a conference in Brussels this week on the future of European security, Borrell reaffirmed the EU’s alliance with the United States and NATO.

“Greater strategic responsibility in Europe is the best way to strengthen transatlantic solidarity. It’s not the EU or NATO: it’s both, “he said.

EU leaders have also discussed the imposition of sanctions against Russia.

Leaders have discussed possible trade bans, energy sanctions and cutting Russia off the high-tech and financial markets.

But Lete explained that although sanctions are needed unanimously by 27 EU countries and discussed with the US and other Western allies, one thing the EU can agree on is that if Ukraine falls, the whole European security architecture will also fall.

Rizzo agreed that the EU must build a unified strategic culture.

“Putin will continue to see a tangible EU if he feels a lack of unity. That has been the case so far, leading to direct negotiations with the United States, “he told Al Jazeera.

“Until the EU puts the joint powers behind rhetoric, they will continue to ignore it,” he added.