Status: 08.02.2022 4:10 p.m
After talks in Kiev and Moscow, the French President sees progress in stabilizing the Ukraine conflict. But it is still too early for a solution. Further consultations follow – including with Chancellor Scholz.
According to French President Emmanuel Macron, it may take months to resolve the Ukraine crisis. His talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy helped make progress in stabilizing the situation.
For his part, Zelenskyj said his country expects concrete steps from Russia that show that de-escalation is meant seriously. “I don’t really trust words. I believe that every politician can be transparent by taking concrete steps,” said the Ukrainian president.
Macron: Peace only with Minsk agreement
Macron announced that consultations on the implementation of the Minsk peace plan would continue. Macron said the talks between representatives of Russia and Ukraine would continue on Thursday in Berlin at the advisor level under Franco-German moderation in the so-called Normandy format. The Minsk agreement is the only way to achieve peace and a politically lasting solution. The agreement is the best protection for Ukraine’s territorial integrity.
Macron said that working on the implementation of the peace plan in the coming weeks could lead to a stabilization of the situation and enable a permanent de-escalation. To this end, a broad, international dialogue should be started on a common, new security architecture for Europe.
Further talks in Berlin
The peace plan agreed in 2015 in Minsk, Belarus, has so far been on hold. Kiev and Moscow accuse each other of violating the agreement. According to UN estimates, more than 14,000 people have been killed in fighting in the Donbass since 2014. In the wake of reports of a massive deployment of Russian soldiers near Ukraine, warnings of a possible invasion have been in the West for weeks. Moscow denies this. It is also considered possible that the Russian side wants to stir up fears in order to persuade NATO to make concessions on demands for security guarantees.
Macron had a consultation with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday evening. Macron said in Kiev that Putin had told him that he would not be the trigger for an escalation. In the evening, Macron is expected in Berlin with Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The Polish head of state Andrzej Duda will also attend the meeting. Scholz met US President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington on Monday to discuss the Ukraine crisis.