PARIS — French President
Emmanuel Macron
will speak to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the presidents of Ukraine and
the US Saturday as fears mount that Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine,
Macron’s office said.
اضافة اعلان
Macron stressed during a call with Russian President
Vladimir Putin that the West would react with “determination” should Russia
invade Ukraine, it added.
French presidential aides said Paris considered that
Putin believed “that it was not he who took the initiative for the escalation”,
but the West who approached the
Russian border.
Putin’s goal was to achieve the “neutralization of
Ukraine. He knows that this is unacceptable (for the West) and that his
military exercises carry a risk of additional escalation”, they said.
He remained demanding and provocative “taking care
nevertheless to keep all his options open”, they added.
France would strengthen advice to its nationals to tell them
to avoid traveling to Ukraine, but would not ask them to leave the country, the
president’s office said.
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