German Chancellor Scholz, Polish President Duda and French President macron met in Berlin on the evening of August 8 to discuss the situation in Ukraine. After the meeting, the three sides stressed that they should maintain dialogue with Russia to avoid Europe falling into war. Analysts believe that in the recent period, European dignitaries, including German and French leaders, have visited frequently to actively mediate the crisis in Ukraine, and the possibility of "cooling" the tension in Ukraine in the short term is increasing. This effort has also increasingly highlighted the differences between European countries and the United States on the Ukrainian issue. The tough stance of the United States on Russia remains a major obstacle to solving the Ukrainian crisis. Good offices continue Political leaders of Germany and France have recently carried out intensive diplomatic activities to ease the situation in Ukraine. Macron visited Moscow on the 7th and held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The next day, he went to Kiev to meet with Ukrainian President Zelensky. Scholtz met with US President Biden in Washington on the 7th, focusing on the Ukrainian issue. German Foreign Minister Burke visited Ukraine on the 7th and 8th, which is her second visit to Ukraine in a month. On December 10, 2021, French President macron (left) greeted visiting German Chancellor Scholz at the Elysee Palace of the presidential palace in Paris. (photographed by Gao Jing of Xinhua News Agency) According to media reports, macron said after meeting with Zelensky that the Minsk agreement is an important way to ease the situation and lead to lasting peace. During the talks, Uzbekistan confirmed its willingness to implement the agreement. He also said that during the recent talks with Putin, Russia also confirmed its willingness to continue to implement the agreement. Macron pointed out that he is optimistic about the easing of the crisis in Ukraine, and the next few days will be decisive. He also revealed that Putin had been provided with "specific security guarantees". Analysts believe that from the latest situation, European diplomatic efforts are expected to alleviate tensions in Ukraine to a certain extent. In an interview with US media on the 8th, EU high representative for foreign and security policy Borrell said that he was cautiously optimistic about the situation in Ukraine. Macron's visit to Russia did not "bring miracles", but "eased the situation". "As long as people sit at the table and talk, there is hope that they will not fall into military confrontation," Borelli said Recently, the deterioration of Ukrainian Russian relations has accelerated, and the two sides have deployed a large number of military personnel and weapons and equipment in the border areas of the two countries. The United States, Ukraine and NATO claim that Russia has gathered heavy troops near the eastern border of Ukraine and has the potential of "invasion". Russia denied it and stressed that NATO activities threatened Russia's border security and that Russia has the right to mobilize troops within its territory to defend its territory. The differences between Europe and the United States are not small European countries have long relied on the United States militarily, and it is difficult for them to have a say in security affairs. However, after a series of events, such as the United States eavesdropping on European allies, hastily withdrawing troops from Afghanistan and stealing French submarine export orders, more and more Europeans believe that the United States is unreliable and the EU's willingness for Strategic Autonomy is increasing. On January 19th, President Ze Lens Ki of Ukraine (left) met with US Secretary of state Blinken in Kiev. (issued by Xinhua news agency, provided by the office of the president of Ukraine) Since the end of last year, the United States and NATO have continued to exaggerate the risk of war between Russia and Ukraine. The European side believes that military conflict will lead to a series of consequences that are unbearable to Europe, so it advocates easing tensions through dialogue. In mid January, the EU was not invited to participate in the US Russia dialogue, the NATO Russia Council meeting and the OSCE meeting, which involved the situation in Ukraine, which hurt the EU. Borrelli has repeatedly said that it is unacceptable that the EU has no place on the negotiating table related to European security. Analysts pointed out that from the resumption of the "Normandy model" Quartet talks between France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine at the end of January to the recent shuttle diplomacy of European dignitaries, a series of actions show that Europe is trying to seek more initiative on issues related to regional security. After meeting with Putin, macron said that without Russian security, there would be no security in Europe. France's Le Figaro believes that macron has taken a bold step. He recognized the legitimacy of Russia's security requirements from the Russian perspective. Borelli agreed with macron. He believes that Russia does not want to invade Ukraine, but calls for the establishment of a new European security mechanism, which should be considered. Game or long-term The active mediation of European countries will undoubtedly help to ease the tension in Ukraine, but in the medium and long term, if the United States and NATO do not change their tough attitude towards Russia, the Ukrainian crisis is still difficult to be fundamentally solved. This is US President Joe Biden photographed at the White House in Washington on January 28. (Xinhua news agency, photo by Shen ting) Some analysts pointed out that an important consideration for the United States to exaggerate the threat of war is to try to provoke Russian European relations and increase European countries' military dependence on the United States. Therefore, it will not give up easily on the Ukrainian issue. Gromiko, director of the Institute of European Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, said that for macron and Scholz, who are preparing to run for re-election, a series of recent diplomatic activities are more out of domestic political considerations, mainly to prove that they have actively participated in important international political processes and highlight the EU's strategic autonomy. Russia believes that Europe's role in Ukraine should not be overestimated. At present, we need to pay more attention to the actions of the United States. Bordachev, project director of the "Valdai" international debate club, a Russian think tank, believes that the diplomatic and military game between Russia and the United States on the Ukrainian issue will continue in the future, and the Ukrainian crisis may gradually become a state of continuous tension. In this case, Russia will work at the diplomatic and military levels at the same time, combining diplomacy with the west, exerting influence on Ukraine and holding military exercises near the border, which is likely to become the norm of Russia's foreign policy. (Xinhua News Agency)