Diplomatic Shuttle: Macron In Kyiv After Putin Talks

Diplomatic efforts to defuse the tensions around Ukraine continued on Tuesday with French President Emmanuel Macron arriving in Kyiv the day after hours of talks with the Russian leader in Moscow yielded no apparent breakthroughs.

Macron met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as fears of a possible Russian invasion mount. Moscow has massed over 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders, but insists it has no plans to attack Ukraine.

The Kremlin has demanded guarantees from the West that NATO will not accept Ukraine and other former Soviet nations as members, halt weapon deployments there and roll back its forces from Eastern Europe — demands the U.S. and NATO reject as nonstarters.

Western leaders in recent weeks have engaged in multiple rounds of diplomacy in the hope of de-escalating the tensions and preventing an attack. High-level talks have taken place against the backdrop of military drills underway in Russia and about to start in Belarus. On Tuesday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said six large landing ships were moving from the Mediterranean to the Black Sea, where they will take part in the exercises.

Macron told reporters on Tuesday that the talks with Putin allowed him to ensure that “there’s no degradation and no (further) escalation.”

He said he did not expect Putin to make any offers. He said his objective was to “prevent an escalation and open new perspectives… that objective is met.”

Putin after the meeting noted that the U.S. and NATO have ignored Moscow’s demands, but signaled his readiness to continue the negotiations.

He also warned that Ukraine’s accession to NATO could trigger a war between Russia and the alliance, should Kyiv move to retake the annexed peninsula of Crimea. “If Ukraine becomes a NATO member and moves to reclaim Crimea, European countries will automatically be drawn into a military conflict with Russia,” Putin said, noting that “there will be no winners.”

Macron described his discussion with Putin as “substantial” and “deep,” with a focus on conditions that could help de-escalation.

“We tried to build converging elements,” he said. “The upcoming days will be crucial and deep discussions together will be needed.”

In Washington, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz met with U.S. President Joe Biden on Monday. Scholz will also travel to Kyiv and Moscow on Feb. 14-15.