As fears of a Russian invasion grow, international efforts to defuse the standoff over Ukraine intensified Monday, with French President Emmanuel Macron meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz meeting with US President Donald Trump in Washington to coordinate policies.
The presence of an estimated 100,000 Russian troops near Ukraine has fanned Western fears that an attack is imminent. Russia might attack Ukraine “any day,” according to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, igniting a confrontation with “enormous human cost.”
Russia has denied any plans to attack its neighbour, but it is pressing the United States and its allies to prohibit Ukraine and other former Soviet republics from joining NATO, suspend arms deployments, and pull NATO military out of Eastern Europe. The demands were rejected by both Washington and NATO.
Macron, who will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin before visiting Ukraine on Tuesday, stated last week that “conversation with Russia and de-escalation” are his top priorities.
Macron spoke with US President Joe Biden on the phone on Sunday before departing for Moscow. The two talked about “ongoing diplomatic and deterrence measures in response to Russia’s continuous military build-up on Ukraine’s borders, and restated their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” according to a statement released by the White House.
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