France's Macron to visit Moscow, Kyiv in bid to defuse Ukraine crisis

French President Emmanuel Macron will hold separate talks with his Russian and Ukranian counterparts next week in the highest profile effort by a Western leader to de-escalate the crisis in Ukraine.

Rather than pointing the finger at Russia, Emmanuel Macron is positioning himself as a mediator in the Ukraine crisis, stressing the importance of keeping diplomatic channels open. Geoffroy van der Hasselt Pool/AFP/Archivos

Macron will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, the Elysée Palace announced Friday. 

In recent days the French President has repeatedly held telephone talks with Putin and Zelensky, as well as US President Joe Biden.

Following his latest calls with Putin and Zelensky on Thursday, Macron's office said that the discussions sought "to identify the elements that should lead to a de-escalation".

Invasion fears

In a possible nod to Russia's concerns about Nato expansion and US military presence in eastern Europe, the Elysée said exchanges had started on the "strategic balance" in Europe, which should make it possible to see "a reduction in the risks on the ground and guarantee security".

Western powers have been engaged in intense diplomatic efforts in recent weeks over the build-up of some 100,000 Russian troops close to the border with its pro-EU neighbour, raising fears it was planning a new invasion of Ukraine.

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Although Ukraine has sought to play down the risk of an invasion, tensions are running high after the Pentagon said Thursday it had evidence of a plan by Moscow to film a fake Ukrainian attack on Russians to justify a real assault.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also indicated he intends to visit Russia soon, although the timing is not yet clear.

Dialogue

Macron has maintained that Europe must keep channels open to talk with Russia. He has insisted that a "demanding dialogue" is preferable to open confrontation with Moscow in a fast-changing world dominated by the rise of China.

Macron paid his only visit to Russia as president in May 2018 to attend the Saint Petersburg economic forum and to meet Putin.

His last face-to-face meeting with the Russian President dates back to a summit in summer 2019 at his residence in the south of France. A planned visit to Moscow in May 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic.

(with AFP)