Putin, Macron hold phone call, discuss Russia-Ukraine talks

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Russian President Vladimir Putin held on Tuesday a phone call with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, and they discussed peace talks between Russia and Ukraine, Interfax news agency said in light of the Ukraine crisis.

According to RIA, a Russian news agency, the call had come at the request of Paris.

The two leaders had also talked on Friday, discussing the situation in Ukraine and Moscow's approach to a potential ceasefire agreement.

"A thorough exchange of views on the situation around Ukraine continued, including on the course of ongoing negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian representatives," the Kremlin press service said.

The parties to the crisis held three rounds of negotiations in Belarus, and negotiations are going on an almost daily basis via videoconference.

According to the head of the Russian delegation, presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, Moscow and Kiev have brought their positions as close as possible on the neutral status of Ukraine and its non-entry into NATO, adding that they were "halfway" on the issue of the country's demilitarization. 

Commenting on the topic of denazification, Medinsky stressed that representatives of Kiev insist on the absence of Nazi formations. He also noted that the people of Donbass should decide for themselves the issue of managing the territories in which they live. 

The crisis in question is due to Russia launching a special military operation for several reasons, including NATO's eastward expansion. Other reasons were the Ukrainian shelling of Donbass and the killing of the people of the Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic, in addition to Moscow wanting to "denazify" and demilitarize Ukraine.