Today at 19:56
February 7, French President Emmanuel Macron sat down with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow to discuss the security issues and tensions at the Ukraine-Russia border. UA has gathered his key messages on these issues:
The next few days will be decisive and will require intensive discussions which we will pursue together.
It is necessary to build new mechanisms that would ensure stability in the region, but these new provisions cannot be built by revising the treaties of the last 30 years and revising fundamental principles or restricting fundamental European rights.
Tensions are increasing and this is increasing the risk of destabilization… neither Russia nor the Europeans want chaos and instability at a time when the peoples and the continent have been so affected by the epidemic.
I do not believe that we are forced to choose between new rules and a game without rules… I am sure that we can reach security and stability in Europe by confirming the developments that we have within the OSCE, but we must also build new solutions. Perhaps they should be more innovative.
February 8 French president Macron pays a visit to Kyiv after his face-to-face talks with Putin. The Kremlin has readied more forces on the Ukraine border.
Read also: 93,902 truce violations observed in Donbas over 2021, – OSCE report
February 7, world efforts to calm the standoff over Ukraine intensified – French President Macron met with his Russian counterpart in Moscow, while German Chancellor Scholz in Washington coordinated policies with President Biden on deterring Russian full-fledged invasion.
On the eve of his visit to the Russian Federation, Macron outlined his key goal in his latest interview with Le Journal du dimanche: “The intensity of the dialogue that we had with Russia and this visit to Moscow are aimed at preventing this (Russia’s full-fledged intervention into Ukraine’s territory, – ed.) from happening,” Macron assured.
Politico media outlet underlines that: “If he (Macron – ed.) pulls it off, he’ll be the hero who prevented an assault on Ukraine and put Europe back on the map as a diplomatic big-hitter.”
Read also: Blinken: Ukraine implementing Minsk deal, Russia failing to do its part
Conceivably, Macron is trying to freeze the situation for several months, at least until the spring, as in April 2022, three European countries – Hungary, Slovenia, and France – would hold their elections.
