Macron discusses his recent visits to Kyiv and Moscow with Biden
French President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Joe Biden discussed Macron’s recent trips to Moscow and Kyiv during a phone call between the two leaders, the White House said in a statement on Feb. 9.
According to the White House, the presidents spoke about Macron’s “ongoing diplomatic and deterrence efforts” the United States and its allies are engaging “in response to Russia’s continued military buildup on Ukraine’s borders.”
While the United States does not see signs of de-escalation on Moscow’s part, Biden may engage in further talks on the matter with his European colleagues, commented White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
Meanwhile, Macron said his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin were “successful” and that he and Putin made some progress on regional security.
During the joint Putin-Macron press conference following their meeting, the Russian leader said that “it’s possible” that some of Macron’s de-escalation “proposals and suggestions” could “become a basis for us moving forward.”
However, a key claim made by the French government – that Putin had promised Macron no new military maneuvers around Ukraine – has been denied by the Kremlin.
After his visit to Moscow, Macron flew to Kyiv, where he met with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, on Feb. 8.
Zelensky and Macron did not discuss Ukraine abandoning its Euro-Atlantic aspirations during their meeting, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, which has been a Russian “security guarantee” demanded of NATO.
Earlier media reports suggested that Macron was looking to spearhead the EU’s foreign policy, and expressed hopes that his Moscow visit could avert another Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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