Sarkozy: We Do Not Want Revival of the Cold War

In a speech held at the congress of Union for center-right Popular Movement Party (UMP) on Monday, former French president Nicolas Sarkozy stated that Crimea cannot be blamed for its decision to secede from Ukraine.

"The interests of the Americans with the Russians are not the interests of Europe and Russia, so we do not want the revival of a Cold War between Europe and Russia," he said, quoted by RT.

Sarkozy further added that a peacekeeping force needs to be established that would protect the rights of Russian speakers in Ukraine.

The statements were made only several days after the Munich Security Conference was held, where German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande proposed a new peace-keeping plan. It involved the formation of a demilitarized zone of 50-70 kilometers around the current front line.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladmir Putin said that Russia is not planning to wage wars against anyone.

On Monday, US President Barack Obama also stated his support for a peaceful solution to the Crimean conflict. He, however, added that no decision has been made yet on whether the US will supply arms to Ukrainian military offices.