During a joint Press Conference with Emmanuel Macron, Putin said that there is still scope for a diplomatic front
The President of France – Emmanuel Macron has said that he and the President of Russia – Vladimir Putin have found “points of convergence” over the Ukraine crisis and that it is “up to us to agree, jointly, concrete and specific measures to stabilize the situation and to de-escalate tensions.”
His remarks came during a joint Press Conference in Moscow, after meeting Putin for 5 hours. Putin, who is highly critical of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and Ukraine said that there is still scope for a diplomatic front.
Currently at the helm of the European Union’s (E.U.’s) rotating presidency, Macron has spoken several times per week with Putin, and placed his third phone call with Biden, last Sunday.
Speaking to media, Putin said, “A number of his proposals and ideas, about which it is too early to speak, I consider quite possible in order to lay a foundation for our further steps.”
Taking it to twitter, Macron tweeted (translated to English), “To preserve stability and peace and re-engage confidence mechanisms for our Europe, our duty is to work together. We are both convinced that there is no reasonable solution that does not involve dialogue. So let’s continue.” Original tweet in French:
Pour préserver la stabilité, la paix et réenclencher des mécanismes de confiance pour notre Europe, notre devoir est de travailler ensemble. Nous sommes l'un et l'autre convaincus qu'il n'y a aucune solution raisonnable qui ne passe par le dialogue. Alors, continuons. pic.twitter.com/fOr5a7j8M0
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 7, 2022
He also tweeted, (translated to English), “What we need to move towards is de-escalation. We know the terms. Major questions of collective security, the Ukrainian question, the security situation in Belarus and throughout the region: let’s move forward.” Original tweet in French:
Ce vers quoi nous devons aller, c’est la désescalade. Nous en connaissons les termes. Grandes questions de sécurité collective, question ukrainienne, situation sécuritaire en Biélorussie et dans toute la région : avançons. pic.twitter.com/sXEDLGf4jO
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 7, 2022
During the discussion, Putin accused Ukraine of violating the rights of its Russian-speaking population and said that the Government is ignoring all possibilities for a peaceful resolution of the situation in Donbas. Meanwhile, Macron also praised the Ukrainian President – Volodymyr Zelensky’s for showing “self-restraint” in the face of growing Russian military activity on its borders.
They also agreed to capitalize on the positive progress made in the Normandy Format, a grouping of France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia, to bolster the Minsk agreements, a ceasefire protocol signed by Ukraine and Russia in 2015 after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
Besides, the Chancellor of Germany – Olaf Scholz has also discussed the Ukraine crisis with the President of the United States (U.S.) – Joe Biden. Scholz, who was in U.S., discussed a strong package of sanctions for Russia, if it invades Ukraine.
As a new sanction, Biden said that the Nord Stream 2 pipeline which is meant to bring natural gas from Russia to Germany through Ukraine, will not go-ahead. Unlike other European Union (E.U.) Members, Germany has so far taken a softer approach on Russia. While France, Spain and even United Kingdom (U.K.), Germany has refrained from sending their troops to Eastern Europe to support NATO. Scholz is also planning to visit Russia and Ukraine, later his month.
