Biden Discussed with Macron his Meetings with Putin and Zelensky

The presidents of the United States and France spoke about the ongoing “efforts of diplomacy and deterrence” in response to the ongoing buildup of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border, the White House said. US President Joseph Biden spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, February 9. Among other things, the heads of state discussed the recent meetings of the French leader with Russian and Ukrainian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky, the White House said. In addition, the sides exchanged views on the ongoing “diplomacy and deterrence efforts” in response to the ongoing buildup of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border. The head of the White House press service, Jennifer Psaki, expects Biden to talk with a number of European leaders in the coming days. Macron visited Moscow on February 7, and Kiev a day later. After talks with the Russian and Ukrainian leaders, the French president announced opportunities to ease tensions in the conflict over Ukraine. He admitted that it could take months to resolve the geopolitical crisis. Russian troops at the border of Ukraine Tensions between the West and Russia have grown in recent months. Since the second half of 2021, the Russian Federation has transferred more than 100 thousand servicemen to the annexed Crimea and to the border with Ukraine, explaining this with military exercises. Western leaders fear that Moscow is preparing for war. The Kremlin denies plans to invade Ukraine and accuses the West of arming it and conducting maneuvers near the Russian borders. The January series of negotiations between Russia and the United States, NATO and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe ended in vain. Western powers are calling on Russia to withdraw troops from the border of Ukraine and threaten tough sanctions. DW