Macron says Putin gave him personal assurances on Ukraine Emmanuel Macron
ended a whirlwind diplomatic mission to Moscow and Kiev on Tuesday, saying he had received personal assurances from Vladimir Putin that Russia would not escalate the crisis in Ukraine.
Speaking after talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv, Macron said Putin made it clear during Monday's talks that he would not be the one to escalate tensions. The standoff could take months to resolve, Macron added. Zelenskiy, however, said he was skeptical of his Russian counterpart's apparent commitment to peace. "I don't really trust words.
I believe that every politician can be transparent by taking concrete action," Zelenskiy said at a joint press conference with Macron. ", Zelenskiy added. On Tuesday, six Russian warships and a submarine passed through the Dardanelles Strait, heading to the Black Sea from the Mediterranean. Russia on Wednesday, the ships, landing craft used for the amphibious assault , began to arrive in the Black Sea.After a meeting in Washington with Joe Biden Monday, Scholz refused to definitely say if the North Flux 2 gas pipeline between Russia and Germany would have been closed in case of invasion.
Macron is the oldest Western leader to have met Putin since Moscow began mustering troops last fall near Ukraine. The Kremlin has deployed and estimated 140,000 troops along Ukraine's borders and will begin major military exercises in Belarus, a short distance from Kiev, on Thursday.
it will end on February 20. Even if the Kremlin withdraws the tactical battalions from Belarus, it is unclear whether they will return to their bases in Russia's Far East or stay closer to Ukraine. Western states claimed weeks ago that they feared Russia was preparing to invade. Putin denies this, but has previously said he may take "military technical measures" if his security requirements are not met. He wants NATO to return to 1997 deployment levels and withdraw from Central and Eastern Europe. He said: “Putin offers the miracle of a possible solution. It is very tempting for any Western leader to say, "I found it!" I am the savior of Europe."Play on people's egos. This is especially true with Macron.
Speaking alongside Macron in the Kremlin on Monday, Putin said that if Ukraine joined NATO, it would inevitably lead to conflict between the alliance and Russia, given Ukraine's claims to Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014. "Ask your readers, viewers, internet users: Do you want France to fight Russia? But it will be like that," Putin said angrily, speaking to a French reporter.
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