Gov’t to bring home Fils in Ukraine amid tensions
By J.Lo
“The situation at Ukraine’s border remains fluid, and security conditions could change any moment,” the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said contingency measures are in place to bring home Filipinos who may be affected by standoff between Ukraine and Russia.
In a statement, the DFA said it is in close coordination with its diplomatic posts in the region on arrangements to bring home Filipinos in Ukraine who wish to return to the Philippines.
Approximately 380 Filipinos are living in Ukraine, most of whom are in Kyiv and located far from the eastern border near Russia.
Russia has deployed around 100,000 troops along Ukraine’s northern, eastern and southern borders, with the United States warning that Russian President Vladimir Putin could attack anytime.
In response, the US has poured in military hardware in Ukraine and contributed to the buildup of NATO forces in Eastern Europe in anticipation of Russian invasion.
The DFA said it is in touch with Filipino community, as well as with other governments and international partners regarding Filipino nationals who wish to relocate to more secure areas.
It said it is also working with European Union in ensuring safe passage of Filipinos across EU borders.
“We urge Filipinos in Ukraine to keep communication lines with Philippine Embassy in Poland open, and wait for updates, bulletins, and safety instructions,” the DFA said.
In the absence of an embassy in Ukraine, Manila’s diplomatic post in Warsaw, Poland oversees the country.
Filipinos in Ukraine are advised to contact the Philippine Embassy in Poland as early as possible through WhatsApp/Viber for emergency at +48 604 357 396 and +48 694 491 663 for assistance to nationals.
The embassy can also be reached through email at warsaw.pe@dfa.gov.ph.
Russia announced earlier pulling back some of its forces near Ukrainian border to their bases, in what would be the first major step towards de-escalation in weeks of crisis with the West.
The move came amid intense diplomatic effort to avert feared Russian invasion of its pro-Western neighbor and after Moscow amassed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was set to be the latest European leader to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin with talks due later in Moscow.
The crisis,the worst between Russia and the West since the end of Cold War reached peak this week, with US officials warning that full-scale invasion, including an assault on the Ukranian capital Kyiv, was possible within days.
The Russian defense ministry spokesman said some forces deployed near Ukraine had completed their exercises and were packing up to leave.
Units of the southern and western military districts, having completed their tasks, have already begun loading onto rail and road transport and today they will begin moving to their military garrisons,” the ministry’s chief spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, said in a statement.
It was not immediately clear how many units were involved and what impact withdrawals would have on the overall number of troops surrounding Ukraine, but it was the first announcement of Russian drawdown in weeks.
Konashenkov said “large-scale” Russian military drills were continuing in many areas, including joint exercises in Belarus and naval exercises in the Black Sea and elsewhere.
If Western officials confirm that Moscow is taking steps to reduce its forces, it would help ease fears of major war in Europe that have been rising for weeks.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova would show it was the West that had been raising tensions with its accusations of an invasion plan.
“February 15, 2022, will go down in history as the day Western war propaganda failed…humiliated and destroyed without single shot being fired,” she wrote on social media.
Comments from Putin’s foreign and defense ministers had already offered some hope of de-escalation.
During a carefully choreographed meeting with Putin, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said “there is always a chance” of reaching an agreement with the West over Ukraine.
He told Putin that exchanges with leaders in European capitals and Washington showed enough of an opening for progress on Russia’s goals to be worth pursuing.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu meanwhile told Putin that some Russian military drills launched in December were “ending” and more would end “in the near future.”
Ukraine appeared Kyiv and the West had been able to deter an invasion.
“We and our allies have managed to prevent Russia from any further escalation, we have a rule: don’t believe what you hear, believe what you see…when we see a withdrawal, we will believe in a de-escalation ” Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told reporters though he added note of caution.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was to meet Putin a day after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv, where the German leader urged Moscow “to take up existing offers of dialogue.”
Support from Germany, a major economic partner for Moscow and importer of Russian gas, is crucial for the package of crippling sanctions that Western leaders say would be imposed in response to an invasion.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock warned that “situation is particularly dangerous and can escalate at any moment.”
“The responsibility for de-escalation is clearly with Russia, and it is for Moscow to withdraw its troops,” she said in a statement.
Moscow has repeatedly blamed crisis on the West, saying United States and western Europe are ignoring Moscow’s legitimate security concerns.
The Kremlin insists NATO must give assurances Ukraine will never be admitted as a member and roll back its presence in eastern European countries.
Russia already controls Crimean Peninsula that it seized from Ukraine in 2014 and supports separatist forces who have taken control of parts of eastern Ukraine, in a conflict that has claimed more than 14,000 lives.
US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed in a call that “a crucial window for diplomacy” remained.
“The leaders emphasized that any further incursion into Ukraine would result in a protracted crisis for Russia, with far-reaching damage for both Russia and the world,” a Downing Street spokesman said.
Amid some claims from US officials that an invasion was being prepared for Wednesday,Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky declared it a “Unity Day,” urging Ukrainians to take the streets in peaceful demonstrations of solidarity.
ISKUP! 