Kiev calmly wants to keep blood
Macron has a long phone call with Putin
02/20/2022, 3:38 p.m
NATO fears a major Russian attack on Ukraine, but the diplomatic wires are still running hot. After an extensive phone call with Kremlin boss Putin, French President Macron has Kiev assure him that they will not react to provocations.
After a long phone call with Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy again. As it was said in the afternoon from the Élysée Palace, Macron’s phone call with Putin lasted around an hour and 45 minutes. Nothing was initially known about the content. Only the evening before, Macron had called Selenskyj, who had emphasized his country’s willingness to engage in dialogue in the conflict with Russia. As it was said in Paris, Zelenskyy pledged not to react to provocations by pro-Moscow separatists in eastern Ukraine.
According to information from ntv, Chancellor Olaf Scholz will be on the phone with Putin tomorrow, Monday. This was confirmed by government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit. At the Munich Security Conference, Scholz said that Europe would continue to rely on diplomacy: “As much as possible without being naive.”
Meanwhile, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Russian state television, referring to Western fears of Russia invading Ukraine: “What’s the point of Russia attacking anyone? We call for history to be remembered.” Rather, Ukraine could feel provoked to a violent solution in the conflict area in the east of the country. Peskov once again criticized the West’s military support for Kiev.
Significant increase in fighting in eastern Ukraine
According to Western information, Russia has gathered around 150,000 soldiers on the border with neighboring Ukraine, but denies any plans of attack. The situation is worsening, especially on the front line between the Ukrainian army and the Moscow-backed separatists, who have controlled eastern Ukraine for years.
NATO now expects a major attack on Ukraine to be imminent. According to all indications, Russia is planning “a complete attack on Ukraine,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Saturday evening, with a view to a new major maneuver by Russia and a significant increase in fighting in eastern Ukraine. On Sunday morning, Russia’s heavily criticized military maneuvers with Belarus in the country bordering Ukraine to the north were extended.