Emmanuel Macron arrived this Monday, February 7 at 6:30 p.m. local time at the Kremlin. The meeting with Vladimir Putin, which began at the end of the afternoon, ended five hours later. The French president wants to “avoid war” in Ukraine. The Kremlin had warned that there would be no significant progress during this interview.
After more than five hours of talks in Moscow with his French counterpart, Vladimir Putin considered that some of Emmanuel Macron’s ideas for defusing the Russian-Western crisis over Ukraine can make it possible to move forward.
” Some of his ideas, his proposals (…) are possible to lay the foundations for common progress “, said Vladimir Putin, during a joint press conference, while judging it premature to expose them publicly.
Emmanuel Macron said for his part that he had proposed to the Russian president to ” building concrete security guarantees for all states involved in the Ukrainian crisis. ” President Putin assured me of his readiness to commit to this logic and of his desire to maintain the stability and territorial integrity of Ukraine. “, added the French president, referring to” convergence terms between Russia and France, without detailing them.
On the plane that took him to Moscow, Emmanuel Macron said to himself ” determined and lucid » before addressing his discussion with Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin adding: « I’m reasonably optimistic, I don’t believe in spontaneous miracles “, reports our special correspondent in Moscow, Valerie Gas.
The French president therefore came to Moscow to try to provoke things a little and “ start the conversation “. The interview with Vladimir Putin, which began half an hour late, takes place in the room dedicated to meetings with foreign authorities in the Kremlin, a vast all-white room with a very large oval table where the two presidents have each taken their seats. at one end. A real face to face.
Vladimir Putin, both arms on the table, was the first to speak and to rejoice in this face-to-face meeting. Emmanuel Macron, very focused, also said a few words before the cameras left the room. He described ” the critical situation of Europe which requires us to be responsible and evoked a necessary dialogue to build the security of the European continent.
“Avoiding War”
” Discussion can initiate where we need to go, which is de-escalation “, said Emmanuel Macron, adding to want” avoid war ” and ” build the elements of trust, stability, visibility for everyone “.
For his part, Vladimir Putin assured that he had ” the same concern [que son homologue] with regard to security in Europe “, welcoming the efforts of the ” French authorities to resolve the matter ” and ” find a solution to the crisis “.
A few words of appetizer before starting the real one-on-one discussion. A discussion whose duration will certainly be an important indicator. ” Everything is possible, it can last, I have already had very long talks with him “, declared Emmanuel Macron before arriving at the Kremlin. By promising to do his best efforts “, to try ” to remove the uncertainties on both sides » and to search « points of convergence “.
According to Dmitri Peskov, the French president did not come empty-handed, but with ideas in the quest for detente. But, the Kremlin spokesman added, “ the situation is too complex to hope for significant progress “, despite the tracks considered by Paris.
In front of the Russian president, Emmanuel Macron insisted that his position was ” coordinate with its European and American allies. All rejected the Kremlin’s demands for an end to NATO’s enlargement policy, which would close the door to Ukraine. The French president once again insisted on the fact that it is unthinkable to envisage a solution on the Ukrainian question without the Ukrainians.
Russia seeks to “dig a ditch”
In Kiev, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy accused Russia of seeking to ” dig a ditch between his country and its Western allies, receiving his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock on Monday for a support visit in the crisis with Moscow.
” No matter who tries to do this in Russia, no one will be able to drive a wedge between Ukraine and its partners “, thus declared Dmytro Kouleba, pointing the finger “ Russia and pro-Russian politicians ” abroad.
Earlier, the minister had set his red lines: “ No concessions on territorial integrity” and “a lasting withdrawal of Russian forces from the Ukrainian border and occupied territories “.
The West accuses Russia of preparing an invasion of Ukraine, whose East has already been embroiled in a war since 2014 with pro-Russian separatists sponsored by Moscow. Tens of thousands of Russian soldiers are camped at borders of Ukraine, raising fears of a European conflict. To accept an appeasement, Russia demands that NATO leaves its neighborhood. An unacceptable requirement for Westerners.
In recent days, Ukraine has put the risk of a military offensive into perspective, believing that the Kremlin was above all seeking to destabilize the internal situation in its neighbor.
► Read also: Russian troops at the gates of Ukraine: Kiev puts things into perspective despite the American warning
London and Berlin send reinforcements
Germany will send 350 additional soldiers to Lithuania to help strengthen NATO’s eastern flank, “ in a few days “, announced the Minister of Defense. “ We are thus strengthening our contribution in terms of forces on NATO’s eastern flank and sending a clear signal of determination to our allies. “added the Minister, assuring that” we can count on Germany. Berlin is leading a NATO operation in Lithuania, where 500 German soldiers are deployed.
The United Kingdom, for its part, will send 350 additional soldiers to Poland, announced the British Minister of Defense Ben Wallace. These troops are added to the 100 soldiers of the Royal Engineers British already present in the country, who had been sent in response to the influx of migrants at the Polish border with Belarus.
Diplomatic efforts
Emmanuel Macron will go to Kiev on Tuesday to see his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. On February 14 and 15, it will be the turn of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to make these same trips after his meeting on Monday in Washington with US President Joe Biden.
The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell, also in Washington, estimated that Europe was going through the “ most dangerous moment for his safety since the end of the Cold War
► To listen also: Ukrainian crisis: “Macron cannot play any role in de-escalation”