Emmanuel Macron’s tour to Moscow, Kiev and Berlin has achieved its “objective” by allowing “to move forward” to reduce tension between Russia and Ukraine, the Elysee said on Wednesday.
“The objective has been achieved”, summed up the French presidency, affirming that it was a question of “allowing everyone to take a break and consider the means of de-escalation (…) at a time of growing tensions” on the border between Russia and Ukraine.
“Our analysis is similar to that of the Kremlin”, which reported on Wednesday the first “positive signals” after Emmanuel Macron’s meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Tuesday, the day after that with Vladimir Putin. “We have opened up prospects, we have had elements that allow us to consider interesting solutions to today’s problems,” said the Elysée.
But, “for such heavy subjects, which involve so many partners in a context of such great volatility, it is absolutely necessary that we be able to set new deadlines and take the time. There is no immediate gain to be expected on all these subjects”, warned the presidency.
Paris considers in particular “very important” that negotiations continue on the implementation of the Minsk agreements of 2015 which should lead to the end of the war in Donbass, in eastern Ukraine, which has killed more than 13,000 people in eight years. , according to the UN.