On February 20, French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke twice in a day about issues related to the situation in Ukraine. Previously, the Elysee Palace had called the French-Russian presidential call a "last-minute diplomatic effort" to avoid a major conflict. On the same day, Macron spoke to US President Joe Biden. Subsequently, the French presidential palace Elysées released a message saying that Macron proposed that Putin and Biden hold a summit on European security and strategic stability, and "both sides have agreed in principle."
In a phone call with Macron, Putin stressed that the provocative behavior of the Ukrainian security forces is the reason for the escalation of the situation, Ukraine is only doing negotiations, and the United States and NATO need to take Russia's security requirements seriously. However, both sides agreed to resume negotiations within the framework of the Normandy model.
The White House issued a statement on the 20th that Biden "in principle" agreed to talks with Putin, but if Russia turns to war, the United States is also ready to impose "rapid and serious" sanctions on Russia.
At present, the intensive exchange of fire in the Wudong area is still continuing. On the evening of the 20th local time, Russian Emergency Minister Chupriyan said that more than 53,000 residents in the Wudong region have crossed the border and entered Russia.
The Kremlin issued a statement
In the morning and evening, Macron and Putin talked twice in a day, lasting 105 minutes and 60 minutes, respectively.
In a subsequent statement issued by the Kremlin, the two heads of state expressed grave concern about the sharp deterioration of the situation on the Donbass contact line.
Putin pointed out that the provocative behavior of the Ukrainian security forces is the reason for the escalation of the situation. NATO countries are sending modern weapons and ammunition to Ukraine, pushing Ukraine on the path of a military solution to the so-called Donbass problem. Civilians in the Wudong region are suffering and have had to evacuate to Russia to escape the growing shelling.
Putin stressed that Ukraine is only doing negotiations, in fact stubbornly refusing to implement the Agreements in Minsk and the agreement reached by the "Normandy Model" Quartet.
Putin reiterated that the United States and NATO need to take Russia's security requirements seriously and respond concretely and substantively to them.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said the presidents of the two countries agreed that the search for a diplomatic solution should be stepped up through the "Normandy model" to restore the ceasefire and ensure progress in resolving the Donbass conflict.
Elysee Palace Statement
On the same day, the Elysee Palace, the French presidential palace, also said in a statement that the two sides agreed to resume work within the framework of the Normandy model based on exchanges and suggestions made by Ukraine in recent days.
The statement underscored the consensus reached between the two sides, saying the two sides agreed to work intensively to allow the Tripartite Liaison Group meeting to take place in the next few hours, with the aim of committing all stakeholders to a ceasefire on the line of contact.
The two sides agreed to support a diplomatic solution to the current crisis and to make every effort to achieve that goal. To that end, intense diplomatic work will be carried out in the coming days and weeks. French Foreign Minister Le Dreyon will meet with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov in the coming days, and the two will hold several consultations in Paris.
The Elysee Palace said that all stakeholders (Europe, allies, Russia and Ukraine) should be involved in the negotiations in order to hold a meeting at the highest level if conditions are met to determine a new order for peace and security in Europe. Russia today pointed out that the "all stakeholders" here are likely to include the United States.
In order to carry out this work under severe conditions, the two heads of state made a firm commitment to take all useful actions to avoid escalation, reduce risks and maintain peace.
After the phone talks, Agence France-Presse quoted an adviser to the French president as saying that Putin confirmed during his talks with Macron that Russia planned to withdraw troops from Belarus after the military exercises.
An adviser to the French president said: "Every day without war is a day of peaceful victory". "We are deeply concerned about the situation, but we remain confident that diplomatic channels have not dried up," he said. The 'ball' is now on Putin's side."
On the evening of the 21st, after the phone call with Putin, Macron had a phone call with Biden, and the White House only said in a statement released afterwards that the two sides discussed "ongoing diplomatic and deterrence efforts" in response to Russia's military buildup on the Ukrainian border. Russian media Russia today revealed that the phone call lasted only 15 minutes.
In a statement released by the Elysee Palace, Macron suggested that Biden and Putin hold a summit on European security and strategic stability, and then hold a summit with all stakeholders. "Both Biden and Putin agreed in principle to hold the summit." The summit will be prepared by US Secretary of State Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov when they meet this week, the statement said. The Elysee Palace said putin and Biden's talks would only take place if Russia did not "invade."
The US White House issued a statement confirming the news on the evening of the 20th, but at the same time said that if Russia turns to war, the United States is also ready to impose "rapid and serious" sanctions on Russia. U.S. Secretary of State Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov are scheduled to meet in Europe later this week, the statement said, also on the same condition that Russia refrain from military action.
That same night, Macron and Zelenskiy were on the phone, and the two had been on the phone for two consecutive days. In a statement released by the Elysee Palace on the 19th, zelenskiy stressed that he was willing to conduct dialogue with the Russian side. Zelenskiy pointed out that he had learned of the situation in eastern Ukraine that "the situation in eastern Ukraine has deteriorated and the Ukrainian side has suffered losses", but he will not respond to the recent exchange of fire between civilian armed forces and Ukrainian government forces in eastern Ukraine. The two sides also discussed ways to ease the situation in Russia and Ukraine and to resolve the Russian-Ukrainian crisis through diplomatic means. On the 20th, the Elysee Palace statement again said that Zelenskiy "confirmed his determination not to react to provocations and to respect the ceasefire."
On the same day, Russian Ambassador to the United States Antonov stressed again in an interview with THE US CBS television that Russia has no intention of "invading" Ukraine.
Antonov said: "There is nothing new about this, there is no such plan. "Russia has publicly declared its readiness to continue to resolve existing issues through diplomatic efforts." The Russian army is located in the sovereign territory of Russia. We will not threaten anyone. ”
Antonov also said the presence of Russian troops in Belarus does not violate international law. In response to a question about whether Russian troops remain in Belarus 'indefinitely', he said: "You United States have a lot of military bases in different countries. As for us, there are very few. We don't see any contradictions with legal norms. ”
Residents of Donbass were evacuated to rostov oblast on the Russian border. Pictured from the Russian media
Since the 17th, the exchange of fire in the eastern region of Ukraine has become increasingly fierce, and the ombudsman of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) announced on the 20th that they recorded nearly 2,000 ceasefire violations in 24 hours, which is the highest number this year.
The "Donetsk People's Republic" and "Luhansk People's Republic" in the Eastern Region of Wudong have repeatedly claimed to have been shelled by the Ukrainian side, but the Ukrainian side has denied it.
To this end, the Wudong region urgently evacuated tens of thousands of people to Russia, and on the 19th, a national mobilization was carried out to call on the people to resist the "aggression from Ukraine". Affected by this, tens of thousands of people poured into Russia, and the Rostov Oblast on the Russian border declared a state of emergency on the 19th. On the evening of the 20th, Russian Emergency Minister Alexander Chupriyan revealed that more than 53,000 people have crossed the Russian border in the two regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
On the 21st, Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE will hold trilateral talks.
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