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PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron is optimistic he can safe a de-escalation over Ukraine when he travels to Moscow to fulfill his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Monday, however hinted that Western international locations may should make concessions to the Kremlin.
His bullish prognosis of a diplomatic compromise will set off alarm bells amongst those that advocate a extra hawkish line on Russia, significantly in Central and Japanese European capitals that worry Russian aggression. In an interview with the weekly Journal du Dimanche earlier than his departure, Macron not solely downplayed fears that Putin’s actual strategic ambition was to occupy Ukraine but in addition prolonged an olive department to Russia by saying he understood Moscow’s must defend its safety pursuits.
“The depth of the dialogue we’ve had with Russia and this go to to Moscow are more likely to forestall [a military operation] from taking place. Then we are going to focus on the phrases of de-escalation,” he informed the JDD. “I’ve at all times been in a deep dialogue with President Putin and our accountability is to construct historic options.”
Putin has massed some 130,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders inside Russia and Belarus, sparking fears of an imminent invasion.
Macron argued, nonetheless, that conquest was not Putin’s final aim. “The geopolitical goal of Russia right this moment is clearly not Ukraine, however to make clear the foundations of cohabitation with NATO and the EU,” he mentioned.
Russia is making quite a few calls for, together with that NATO commit to not broaden, significantly eastwards into Ukraine, and to maintain its navy infrastructure the place it was in 1997. Many NATO members are dismissing Russia’s want listing out of hand, and nations together with the U.S., Britain, Poland and Turkey are arming Kyiv in an try to discourage Putin from crossing the border.
Macron, nonetheless, mentioned Russia was inside its rights to hunt to barter safety ensures. “The safety and sovereignty of Ukraine or some other European state can’t be a topic for compromise, whereas it additionally official for Russia to pose the query of its personal safety.”
Hanging a deal, although, may imply giving one thing up. “We have now to be very life like. We won’t get hold of unilateral strikes, however it’s important to keep away from a deterioration of the state of affairs earlier than constructing mechanisms and reciprocal gestures of belief,” he argued.
“We should defend our European brothers by proposing a brand new stability able to preserving their sovereignty and peace. This have to be executed whereas respecting Russia and understanding the modern traumas of this nice folks and nation,” the French president mentioned.
After assembly Putin on Monday, Macron will journey to Kyiv the next day to talk with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
The French head of state’s journey comes as NATO Secretary-Common Jens Stoltenberg known as the Russian navy deployment the “greatest since Chilly Conflict.” Earlier this week, Joe Biden ordered the deployment of round 3,000 U.S. troops to Poland, Germany and Romania.
Since Macron was elected in 2017, he has saved up a dialogue with Putin — although his first presidential marketing campaign was reportedly focused by Russian-backed hackers. The French president’s technique — generally known as “naive,” because the president’s personal aide on Russia conceded — has but to yield a strategic breakthrough.
Forward of Monday’s journey, the French president and his Russian counterpart have spoken on the telephone a number of occasions previously few days, and Putin complained that Western nations had refused to hearken to Russia’s core calls for.
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