MOSCOW – February 7 (ONLINE): French President Emmanuel Macron has flown to Moscow in a bid to diffuse Ukraine tensions, media reports said Monday.
Ahead of his Russia trip, Macron told reporters that he would talk about de-escalation In the region with his Russian counterpart.
Following the Moscow visit, Macron will then head to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, on Tuesday for talks with the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Russia has amassed some 100,000 troops near its borders with Ukraine, demanding security guarantees from the United States and NATO, including that the alliance reject Ukraine as a member and halt any eastward expansion.
It denies, however, planning an invasion of Ukraine.
The US and NATO have called the Russian demands non-starters and Washington has deployed thousands of additional troops to Eastern Europe.
The White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday warned that Putin could order an attack on Ukraine within days or weeks.
But Macron – who spoke to Joe Biden ahead of the trip to Moscow as part of a “coordination logic” – has downplayed the likelihood of a Russian invasion of Ukraine and said his negotiations with Putin are likely to head off a military conflict.
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