Original title: Russian and French leaders once again call on the situation in Ukraine and other issues
Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on the 3rd to discuss the situation in Ukraine and Russia’s security.
According to the Kremlin’s website, the two leaders discussed the situation in Ukraine and the West’s provision of legally binding long-term security guarantees to Russia. The two sides exchanged assessments on the current situation based on recent contacts with some international partners and France’s holding the rotating presidency of the EU Council.
It was the third phone call between Putin and Macron in recent days about the situation in Ukraine and other issues.
Recently, the deterioration of Russia-Ukraine relations has accelerated, and the two sides have deployed a large number of military personnel and equipment in the border areas of the two countries. The U.S., Ukraine and NATO have claimed that Russia may be preparing to “invade” Ukraine by amassing heavy forces on the Russian-Ukrainian border. Russia denies this claim.
In December 2021, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on security dialogue with the United States and other Western countries, requiring the United States and NATO to provide legal guarantees for ruling out the possibility of NATO’s further eastward expansion. From January 10th to 13th this year, Russia conducted dialogues with the United States and NATO on the above-mentioned security recommendations, but neither achieved substantial results. (Geng Pengyu)