The French president spoke by telephone with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Thursday.
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Emmanuel Macron poses as a mediator in the Ukrainian crisis. The President of the Republic will go to Moscow on Monday and Kiev on Tuesday, the Elysée Palace announced on Friday 4 February. The head of state spoke on the phone Thursday, in turn, with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, then with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. On Wednesday, he had exchanged with his American counterpart Joe Biden.
These two interviews will take place face-to-face, said the Elysée, but “in coordination with European partners”. Emmanuel Macron and his advisers have also spoken with several of their European counterparts on the telephone in recent days, recalls the French presidency.
Westerners have accused Moscow since late 2021 of massing tens of thousands of troops on Ukraine’s borders for a potential invasion, resulting in one of the worst Russian-Western crises since the Cold War. Russia denies any aggressive intentions, but conditions a de-escalation on the end of NATO’s enlargement policy, in particular to Ukraine, and a withdrawal from Eastern Europe of the Atlantic Alliance’s military capabilities. Washington rejected these demands, offering in exchange that the rivals undertake not to deploy offensive military means in Ukraine.