On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron held bilateral calls with the United States (US) President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss diplomatic measures to resolve the Ukraine crisis. During the two conversations, the French leader offered to mediate a summit between Biden and Putin to discuss Europe’s security and stability.
As per an official press release by Élysée Palace, both Biden and Putin agreed to meet “in principle” to discuss the ongoing Ukraine crisis. Further discussions are to be held between the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov on February 24. “It can only be held at the condition that Russia does not invade Ukraine,” the statement said.
Reiterating the same point, the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “The administration has been clear that we are committed to pursuing diplomacy until the moment an invasion begins,” adding, “We are always ready for diplomacy. We are also ready to impose swift and severe consequences should Russia instead choose war. And currently, Russia appears to be continuing preparations for a full-scale assault on Ukraine very soon.”
President Biden spoke with President Emmanuel Macron of France today. They discussed ongoing diplomacy and deterrence efforts in response to Russia’s military buildup on the borders of Ukraine.
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 20, 2022
During his call with Macron, Putin blamed Ukraine for heightened tensions and prolonged fighting in eastern Ukraine. In a statement, the Kremlin said that modern weapons and ammunitions being sent to Ukraine by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members is encouraging Kyiv to resort to military provocation in eastern Ukraine.
Additionally, Putin highlighted Kyiv’s refusal to implement the Minsk Agreements reached as part of the Normandy format. Putin also urged the US and NATO to carefully reconsider his security demands; Russia has sought legal guarantees to restrict NATO’s eastward expansion and bar Ukraine from joining the alliance.
We are living in a potentially very dangerous moment. Today's agreement between Macron and Putin for talks between Russia, Ukraine, France & Germany should be fully backed by our Government as a way to avoid war and to secure de-escalation and a diplomatic solution to the crisis.
— Richard Burgon MP (@RichardBurgon) February 20, 2022
The Elysée Palace described the meeting, which lasted for 45 minutes, as Macron’s last-minute diplomatic effort to avert the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “The two heads of state — this is very important — agreed on the need to re-establish the ceasefire. We do not think that diplomacy’s resources have expired,” a spokesperson said.
Both leaders also discussed Russia’s withdrawal of troops from Belarus following military exercises that ended on Sunday. “Putin reiterated to President Macron his intention to withdraw these troops from Belarus at the end of the ongoing exercises,” an Elysée official said. However, Belarus earlier stated that Russian troops would not immediately leave after the conclusion of the drills.
Furthermore, Macron also spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, who updated Macron about the security situation and called for an immediate ceasefire following new provocative shelling.
Continuing yesterday's conversation, informed @EmmanuelMacron about the current security situation and new provocative shelling. We stand for intensifying the peace process. We support the immediate convening of the TCG and the immediate introduction of a regime of silence.
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) February 20, 2022
In the coming days, the French Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian is expected to meet with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to further discuss the agreed-upon points.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has dismissed the possibility of a Putin-Biden summit, saying, “It’s premature to talk about any specific plans for organising any kind of summits.” Likewise, although Ukraine has appreciated France’s efforts, its Defence Minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, has reiterated that there is no sign of Russian forces withdrawing from the border, adding that Russia-backed rebels continue to attack.