Ukrainian crisis: after a visit to Kiev, Macron is in Berlin with Scholz
Emmanuel Macron during his visit to Moscow where he met Vladimir Putin on February 7, 2022. AP - Sergei Guneyev
Text by: RFI Follow
4 mins
Emmanuel Macron arrived in Berlin on Tuesday February 8 for talks with Olaf Scholz, after having held consultations in Moscow and Kiev, aimed at resolving the Russian-Western crisis around Ukraine.
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After Moscow, then Kiev, French President Emmanuel Macron stopped this Tuesday evening in Berlin, where he met Olaf Scholz.
The German Chancellor, who was in Washington on Monday for his
first meeting with Joe Biden
, and who is due to receive the leaders of the Baltic countries on Wednesday, is criticized by some of his allies for his wait-and-see attitude and what appears to be hesitation in the face of
the Russia
.
German diplomacy must now give pledges to reassure its allies who no longer hide their concern.
Berlin's attitude towards Moscow has in fact been causing concern for weeks, starting with the countries that would be on the front line in the event of a conflict with Russia, namely Poland, Ukraine and
the countries Baltics
.
In question more precisely: hesitant declarations on the future of
Nord Stream 2
, the gas pipeline which must link Russia to Germany, then the refusal to deliver arms to Ukraine, and finally a general impression, which contrasts with the alarmism of the United States and the activity deployed over the past two weeks by French diplomacy.
Olaf Scholz tries to reassure his allies
The trouble is such that in Washington, the German ambassador expressed concern in a dispatch revealed by the German press.
As
Daniel Vallot
, of RFI's international service, explains, Berlin would now be considered an "
unreliable
" partner in the United States, according to the diplomat.
Aware of these criticisms, Angela Merkel's successor is trying to reverse the trend.
Olaf Scholz wants to give pledges to his allies and it is for this reason that he announced this weekend the dispatch of additional troops to Lithuania, and that he multiplies the meetings before flying away too Kyiv and Moscow next week.
In Kiev, Macron displays his voluntarism
Emmanuel Macron had come to Moscow to look for the ways of de-escalation, after his meeting with the Ukrainian president in Kiev, he wanted to show that he was not returning empty-handed.
“
On the more military and security question, we spoke on Monday with President Putin and he told me that he would not be at the origin of an escalation
”, specified Emmanuel Macron.
An encouraging commitment for the French president, who has reminded us several times over the past two days that the crisis could not be resolved in a few hours of discussion, but that it would take weeks, even months, because of the deep disagreements, particularly around of the question of NATO and the existing tensions.
But Emmanuel Macron felt that progress had been made.
“
The discussions that I was able to have with President Putin and President Zelensky made it possible to progress on the ways and means of building this security and stability in the region,
explained the French President
.
I was able, during these exchanges, to obtain the very clear and explicit commitment of Presidents Putin and Zelensky to commit themselves on the strict basis of the Minsk agreements.
And I think for my part that indeed this exchange makes possible a meeting in the coming weeks.
»
The will to implement the Minsk agreements
The solution to the Ukrainian crisis can only be political, within the framework of the Minsk agreements and on the basis of the Normandy format, said Emmanuel Macron on Monday during his visit to the Kremlin.
“
France is determined to tirelessly pursue its mediation efforts between Russia and Ukraine to end the conflict.
We had the opportunity together, with President Putin and then Chancellor Merkel, to hold what was the last meeting in the so-called Normandy format in Paris in December 2019. The four Heads of Government and State of Normandy format had managed to agree on immediate measures to be implemented, particularly in the humanitarian field.
»
On January 26, the four countries reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the Minsk agreements, which are intended to restore Ukraine's territorial integrity and which paves the way to peace, said the French President: "
Monday, with President Putin, I spoke about this subject at length and he himself recommitted to respecting the Minsk agreements.
»
Volodymyr Zelensky therefore considered that a meeting of the "leaders" of the four countries of the Normandy format was possible.
A sign of good will, but which remains to be concretized, analyzes our special correspondent,
Valérie Gas
.
►
To read: On the Russian-Ukrainian border, for the inhabitants, "it is not imaginable that there is a war"
(and with
AFP
)
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Ukraine
Russia
France
Emmanuel Macron
Vladimir Poutine
Volodymyr Zelensky