Ukraine: the negotiations promise to be long and difficult

"This man has sent troops to cross an international border and occupy the territory of another country, acting in the twenty-first century as a tyrant of the mid-twentieth century."

If Wednesday's meeting in Minsk is a new hope for peace, it seemed, however, still far this Sunday for a political agreement, according to officials close to the negotiations. In Munich, Europeans and Americans tried, for their part, to erase their divisions on the strategy against the Ukrainian folder. "There is a point on which we all agree is that diplomacy should be the only solution to the conflict, said the head of European diplomacy Federica Mogherini. Wednesday's discussions can be an excellent opportunity to begin finally to implement the Minsk agreements. ''

For its part, the head of the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he hoped that "important decisions" would be taken on Wednesday in Minsk. But his words have left shine complex negotiations. "The maintaining security in Europe is based only on compliance with previous commitments, he said. This means the need to ensure a balanced and indivisible security, that is to say, each security must not be at the expense of others. ''

Tensions between Russia and Western countries are palpable, evidenced by the violent charge on Sunday, the head of British diplomacy Philip Hammond against Putin, "This man has sent troops to cross an international border and occupy the territory of another country, acting on twenty-first century as a bully mid twentieth century. We do not conduct ourselves in this way. ''

Britain has no plans for now to deliver weapons to Ukraine, but its position in this respect could change, said the British Foreign Minister. Many American politicians support this solution.