The Kremlin was ready for the fact that the negotiations between the presidents of Russia and France, Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron, could drag on, explaining the position of the Russian Federation regarding the situation around Ukraine takes time. This was announced on Tuesday, February 8, by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
“Very constructive and, indeed, meaningful relations have been established between Putin and Macron, which allow them to spend a lot of time communicating with each other,” Peskov said at a briefing.
According to him, the desire of politicians to continue the conversation for several hours was mutual.
“I think it’s a mutual desire, [сейчас] very busy agenda. The presentation of the arguments, at least of our president, regarding our position, of course, takes time, ”added the Kremlin spokesman.
He also commented on the information that during the negotiations, the Russian leader promised Macron to withdraw 30,000 Russian troops from Belarus after conducting exercises in this country.
“If you have been following closely, no one has ever said that Russian troops will remain on the territory of Belarus, this has never been discussed. We are talking about allied exercises and, of course, it is understood that upon completion of these exercises, the troops will return to their places of permanent deployment, ”Peskov said.
The Kremlin spokesman stressed that further steps by the Russian authorities on the situation in Ukraine depend on the key in which the talks between Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev on February 8 will take place.
Macron left Moscow earlier that day. His conversation with Putin the day before lasted more than five hours. The politicians began the conversation in the representative office of the first building of the Kremlin, and continued over a working lunch. The meeting ended around midnight, after which the presidents held a final press conference.
Meeting his French colleague, Putin noted that he had not seen Macron in person for two years, so many issues have accumulated that can and should be discussed in a direct format. The French leader noted that a dialogue with Russia is necessary as the only way to ensure real stability and security for the European continent.
Putin during a press conference stressed that statements about the aggression of the Russian Federation “at least do not correspond to sound logic.” He also pointed out that the further expansion of NATO to the borders of the Russian Federation poses a threat, and in the event of a military conflict between Russia and the alliance, there will be no winners. In addition, the Russian leader called on Ukraine to comply with the Minsk agreements. He stressed that there is no alternative to these agreements.
Later, the Financial Times, citing French sources, reported that Putin and Macron allegedly agreed that the Russian Federation would withdraw its military from Belarus after the end of joint exercises. According to journalists, this may contribute to the de-escalation of the situation around Ukraine.
The United States and a number of European countries have recently expressed concern over the alleged increase in Russia’s “aggressive actions” against Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly rejected such accusations, emphasizing that it does not threaten anyone, and such statements are used as an excuse to place as much NATO military equipment as possible near the borders of the Russian Federation. As Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted, Russia is not going to start a war with Ukraine, and Western countries and the United States are “hysterically” developing the topic of the Russian threat instead of forcing Ukraine to comply with the Minsk agreements.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
