Macron flies to Moscow to hold talks with Putin on Ukraine

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French President Emmanuel Macron will fly on Monday to Russia, as part of a diplomatic move to defuse the situation with Ukraine, amid NATO's attempts to expand eastward in Europe.

Macron has been making phone calls with Western allies, Putin, and Ukraine's Zelensky over the past week. After his visit to Russia on Monday, Macron will visit Ukraine on Tuesday.

Two sources close to Macron reported, according to Reuters, that one aim of the visit was to buy time for several months until after the April elections in Europe, which may see a change in Hungary, Slovenia, and France.

The French President was optimistic that he would be able to secure a de-escalation over Ukraine but also hinted that Western countries would have to make concessions.

“The intensity of the dialogue we have had with Russia and this visit to Moscow are likely to prevent [a military operation] from happening. Then we will discuss the terms of de-escalation,” he told the Journal Du Dimanche on Sunday. “I have always been in a deep dialogue with President Putin and our responsibility is to build historic solutions.”

Macron had declared that Putin was not after invading Ukraine, but to alleviate security concerns regarding NATO's overtures in Europe.

The geopolitical objective of Russia today is clearly not Ukraine, but to clarify the rules of cohabitation with NATO and the EU,” he said.