French President Emmanuel Macron spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin after the United States and NATO refused in writing to Russia’s request to “give written guarantees not to expand eastward.” During the meeting, Macron and Putin agreed to “continue the dialogue process” and agreed to expand the channels of dialogue within the framework of the Normandy Format, which was created for the resolution of the Donbass conflict.
As French President Emmanuel Macron announced in the middle of the week, he discussed ways to reduce tensions in eastern Ukraine in a phone call he had with Putin for nearly an hour and a half in order to reduce the escalating tension in eastern Ukraine. After Putin, Macron will meet with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and convey the common demands and messages directly.
On Wednesday, at the request of Ukraine, Germany and France, Russia agreed to sit at the table as the Normandy quartet, following the gesture of pulling the “Donbass Region Transition Law”, which violates the Minsk Agreement, from the parliamentary agenda. The Normandy Quartet, which came together for the first time in a long time at the level of diplomatic representatives in Paris, at the Elysee Palace, remained loyal to the ceasefire stipulated by the Minsk Agreement and decided to meet again at the level of diplomatic representatives in Berlin 15 days later to resolve other issues.
In the light of the results of this meeting, Macron’s meeting with Putin was “in a serious, mutually respectful and quality dialogue”, according to the information VOA Turkish obtained from Elysee sources.
Macron conveyed to Putin that he wanted to find ways to reduce the Ukraine crisis, in particular by resuming the implementation of the 2015 Minsk Agreement in quadratic format. Diplomats said, “Putin very clearly said that he does not want to escalate conflict and tensions, and that he is ready to reconsider negotiations within the framework of the Normandy Group,” and stated that Putin responded positively to this proposal.
Again, according to Elysee diplomats, Putin told Macron that “he was the only person with whom he had given such a detailed speech, and that he valued dialogue”. Macron, who wanted the crisis to continue to be handled within the framework of the Normandy Quartet (France, Germany, Russia, Ukraine), conveyed to Putin that “the Minsk Agreement should be revived and the ceasefire between Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces in the Donbass region should be maintained.”
Both leaders agreed on the continuation of the dialogue without leaving any contradiction or uncertainty. They agreed that the dialogue process should continue within the framework of the Normandy format. did not take their concerns into account”, but confirmed Elysee’s statements that “the dialogue process will continue”.
At the meeting, Putin conveyed that a dialogue within the framework of the Normandy format would be possible “with the constructive participation of Ukraine.” Macron also called for the revival of the Minsk engagements in 2019 for the status of Donbass and Lougansk, stating that he would convey the message of “dialogue and the continuation of the ceasefire” in a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Macron plans to go to Kiev
Elysee underlines that Macron is planning to go to Ukraine, but the date has not been clarified yet, and Zelensky and Macron will discuss this issue on the phone.
Russia wants local elections to be held in the Donbass region and the results of this election to be accepted by the Kiev administration, and legal and administrative arrangements to be made in accordance with the Minsk Agreement. For this, he wants the Kiev administration to speak directly with the separatists in Donbass. However, Kiev, which does not agree to this, argues that direct contact has red lines.
Elysee stated that Macron will convey to Zelensky the message that after meeting with Putin, France and its allies respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and that “within the framework of the Normandy quartet, both a conflict will be avoided and the way for a solution of problems will be opened”.
Diplomatic contacts for the solution of the crisis will continue next week. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who is especially concerned about his country’s energy needs in case of a possible attack by Russia on Ukraine, will go to Washington on February 7 to meet with Biden. President Macron will meet with Zelensky in Kiev. Two weeks later, the parties will meet again in Berlin at the level of diplomats, within the framework of the Normandy Format.