Moscow After consultations with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin in Moscow, French President Emmanuel Macron sees possibilities for a diplomatic solution to the current tensions in Europe. In the Ukraine crisis, the peace plan for the Donbass must be implemented “strictly and completely”, Macron said on Tuesday (local time) after a good five-hour talks with the Russian President. This also requires steps from Ukraine. The conflict must be resolved so that the European Union and Russia can improve their relations. “Our duty is to keep working together.”
In order to guarantee peace and security in Europe, new and innovative solutions for “concrete security guarantees” could be created on the basis of existing agreements, Macron said. Despite different perspectives and interpretations of the past, there are overlaps between Russia and France, for example when creating transparency about the presence of troops and weapon systems.
De-escalation steps should be found in the coming weeks, in coordination with Ukraine, the EU and the US. France currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union. “We are aware of the seriousness of the situation,” said Macron.
There are international fears that Russia is planning an invasion of neighboring Ukraine. The Kremlin denies such plans. It is also considered possible that the Russian side wants to stir up fears in order to persuade NATO to make concessions on demands for new security guarantees.
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Putin is open
Putin thanked Macron in the Kremlin for his commitment to European security. France has also been working for years to find a solution to the Ukraine conflict, he said. Macron said in greeting that he hoped that the direct conversation would be the beginning of a path to de-escalate the situation.
A common answer must be found in order to prevent a war in Europe. Macron is expected in the Ukrainian capital Kiev this Tuesday, where he will hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He will then travel on to Germany to discuss how to proceed in the crisis with Chancellor Olaf Scholz after his return from a meeting with Joe Biden.
Putin and Macron were on first-name terms at their first meeting in more than two years. The contact was never broken, said Putin, who had had three crisis calls with Macron in the past few days.
Macron warns against exaggerated expectations
France currently holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union. From the Élysée Palace it was said in advance that Macron’s visit to Russia would involve a uniform, coordinated announcement to Moscow with clearly defined consequences in the event of aggression. The USA and the EU want to impose severe economic sanctions in the event of a Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“The intensity of the dialogue that we have with Russia and this trip to Moscow are also suitable for preventing that,” Macron said in an interview. Regarding possible successes of his trip, he said: “You have to be very realistic. We will not reach unilateral gestures, but it is imperative to avoid worsening the situation.”
The aim of his trip is “to try to work out answers to the emergency and to move towards a new order that Europe urgently needs and which is based on the fundamental principle of equality and sovereignty of the states”.
Macron complained that there had been too little dialogue between the EU and Russia in the past. “Recent times have confirmed that you cannot settle a conflict if you choose not to talk to each other, as Europeans did last year when (ex-)Chancellor (Angela) Merkel and I had an EU -Russia Summit.”
There are international fears that Russia is planning an invasion of neighboring Ukraine. The Kremlin denies such plans. It is also considered possible that the Russian side wants to stir up fears in order to persuade NATO to make concessions on demands for new security guarantees.
More: Putin and Macron agree on the need to calm down