In a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the escalating situation at the Ukraine border is a direct result of Kyiv’s “unwillingness to honour the Minsk agreements.”
The two leaders centred their talks on strengthening security and stability in Europe, specifically focusing on Moscow’s security proposals sent to the United States (US), the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), and France last week amid the increased troop build-up along the Russia-Ukraine border.
During the conversation, Putin blamed Ukraine’s refusal to abide by the Minsk Protocol, which calls for a ceasefire, for the continuation of the conflict. In this light, Macron and Putin discussed the possibility of holding a new Normandy Format summit, which would involve Russia, Ukraine, France, and Germany. However, Putin underscored that any such summit would be dependent on Ukrainian officials taking specific steps to implement the Minsk-2 agreement.
Meanwhile, the duo expressed satisfaction with the ’stabilising’ Nagorno-Karabakh situation following the recent Russia-mediated ceasefire. Macron praised Russia’s efforts in restoring peace and fixing the economic and transport links in the region. A Kremlin statement confirmed that France and Russia “intend to act synchronously on these matters in the future.”
The situation in Mali was also brought up in the meeting, given that France has repeatedly questioned the motives and actions of Russian paramilitary company Wagner Group in the African country. However, details of the discussion were not disclosed.
Despite Europe and NATO’s deteriorating relations with Moscow, Macron and Putin have maintained fairly cordial ties. Last month, Putin complained to Macron about the US and NATO’s provocative military activities in the Black Sea. Earlier in October, the two leaders also discussed diplomatic ways to diffuse the tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute.
The Kremlin said that Putin also had a conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Tuesday. Germany is the fourth member of the Normandy Format group along with Russia, Ukraine, and France. Leaders from these countries last met in 2014 to resolve the Donbas conflict in eastern Ukraine. Last week, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wants “direct talks” to resolve tensions with Russia, adding pressure for the Normandy Format members to gather again.
During the call with Scholz, Putin emphasised Russia’s security demands regarding NATO expansion and weapons deployment. Last week, Moscow published a list of security demands made to the US and NATO regarding Western military activity and NATO expansion towards Russia, marking an effort to de-escalate the conflict with Ukraine. Over the past few months, the US and its European allies have raised concerns over a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, citing the presence of 175,000 Russian troops at the Ukrainian border.