Ukrainian crisis: Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz on a defusing mission
French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, here on January 25, 2022 in Berlin.
AP - Tobias Schwarz
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
French President Emmanuel Macron announced his trip to Russia early next week.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will go there the following week.
The objective of the two leaders: to put Europe back at the heart of the discussions.
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Criticized for weeks for his hesitations in the Ukrainian file, and in particular on
Berlin's refusal to deliver weapons to Kiev
, Olaf Scholz has finally decided to act. Like Emmanuel Macron, who will travel to Moscow on Monday, the German Chancellor is expected on February 15 in the Russian capital to meet Vladimir Putin there. Like the French president, he will also go to Kiev to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Paris and Berlin will have the same objective: to try to ease tensions, and to achieve a de-escalation between the Russians and the West around Ukraine, Moscow having deployed tens of thousands of soldiers to the Ukrainian borders, raising fears of an invasion.
To do this, the German and French leaders will use their status as mediators in the Ukrainian conflict.
The bet on the “Normandy” format
It is
by reactivating the negotiations of the “Normandy” format
, supposed to implement the Minsk peace agreements in the separatist enclaves of Donbass, that they hope to bring Kiev and Moscow around the same table.
Paris sees proof of this in the success of the meeting organized in this context on January 26 between the diplomatic advisers of the leaders of the four countries – France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine.
But it is not said that this suits Vladimir Putin.
The head of the Kremlin has very clearly shown since the start of the crisis that he wants to establish an exclusive dialogue with the United States.
And that he considered negligible the role that European countries could play in this crisis.
Moscow considers that an easing of tensions around Ukraine will only be possible if NATO renounces its policy of enlargement and leaves the neighborhood of Russia.
A demand rejected by Washington and the Atlantic Alliance.
Europeans and Americans, however, want to continue the dialogue with Moscow on its concerns.
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Ukraine
Germany
Russia
France
Olaf Scholz
Emmanuel Macron