Macron in Berlin: will the path of de-escalation in Ukraine bear fruit?

Will Emmanuel Macron’s diplomatic marathon bear fruit? After having spoken yesterday with Vladimir Putin, in Moscow, about the Ukrainian crisis, the Head of State flew to Kiev to discuss with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The President of the Republic hopes to advance the peace negotiations as quickly as possible. He will discuss it tonight with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin.

Towards de-escalation?

Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz have been in the last 48 hours, each on their side, fully mobilized on the file of the Ukrainian crisis. The German Chancellor has just returned from the United States, where he exchanged with Joe Biden. The French president arrives from Moscow and Kiev. In Kiev, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked Emmanuel Macron several times for his involvement and assured him of his composure in the face of the Russian threat: “We are patient and it is important not only for Ukraine, but for all of Europe. On our patience depends the de-escalation”.

Respect for the Minsk agreements

At the end of these three hours of interview, Emmanuel Macron welcomed progress on the issue of the Minsk agreements which, according to him, are intended to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity: “Yesterday, with President Putin, I obviously discussed this subject at length and he himself recommitted to respecting the Minsk agreements. And I would like to thank you here for confirming to me just now, during our discussions, your desire to implement these same agreements. On the basis of this double commitment, Russian and Ukrainian, we now have the possibility of advancing these negotiations”.

Emmanuel Macron has therefore obtained a basis for advancing the negotiations. He will share his analysis of the situation with Chancellor Scholz before a meeting with the Polish President, also present in Berlin. The road to de-escalation is still long…