Emmanuel Macron said that he was very concerned about the situation on the ground.
Tourcoing, France:
French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday said he might visit Russia to discuss the Ukraine crisis, adding that his plans will depend on progress being made in upcoming phone calls with political leaders. world leader.
Macron said he would talk “in the coming hours” with his US counterpart Joe Biden about the crisis caused by Russia’s deployment of some 100,000 troops close to the border with Ukraine.
He said he would also stay in touch with Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky.
“I don’t rule out anything,” the president told reporters during a visit to Tourcoing in northern France, referring to the possibility of a trip to Russia to seek a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
“The most important thing is first of all to continue European coordination and continue to communicate with both President Putin and President Zelensky,” he said.
“Depending on the progress of our discussions carried out in the coming hours, I do not rule out any initiative or itinerary,” he said.
The Russian military buildup close to the border with eastern Ukraine has raised concerns in the West that the Kremlin is planning an invasion of its pro-EU neighbour.
Russia denies the invasion plan but demands from the West wide-ranging security guarantees, including that Ukraine should never be allowed to join NATO.
“I am very concerned about the situation on the ground,” the French president said on the sidelines of a meeting of EU interior ministers.
“The priority for me on the Ukraine question and the dialogue with Russia is to de-escalate and find political terms to get out of the crisis.”
This week, Macron said that Russia was behaving as an “unbalanced power” in the region but also made clear that he was open to dialogue with Moscow to clarify the situation.
Over the years, the French president has insisted that Europe must keep channels open for dialogue with Russia.
He asserts that a “dialogue claim” is best for opening confrontation with Moscow in a rapidly changing world dominated by China’s rise.
He has held talks with Putin by phone several times in recent days, and French officials have been more lenient than some of their NATO counterparts about the possibility of Russian military action.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from the syndication feed.)
