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 announced on Friday February 4. The head of state spoke 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.
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 of its military capabilities from Eastern Europe. Washington rejected these demands, offering in exchange that the rivals undertake not to deploy offensive military means in Ukraine.