KYIV: French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday he had convinced Russia’s Vladimir Putin not to escalate the crisis around Ukraine, ahead of talks in Kyiv aimed at defusing fears Moscow could invade.
During a five-hour meeting over dinner in the Kremlin Monday, Macron said he offered Putin “concrete security guarantees” as the West scrambles to deal with Russia’s massive troop build-up on Ukraine’s border.
“I obtained that there will be no degradation nor escalation,” the French leader told journalists as he arrived in Kyiv for talks with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“My aim was to freeze the game, to prevent an escalation and open up new perspectives,” Macron said. “This objective for me is fulfilled.”
Putin – who has demanded sweeping security guarantees from NATO and the United States – told Macron that Moscow would “do everything to find compromises that suit everyone”.
He said several proposals put forward by Macron could “form a basis for further steps” on easing the crisis over Ukraine, but did not give any details.
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