Macron spoke with Putin and Zelensky about the possibilities of continuing the diplomatic path in the face of the crisis in Ukraine

The French president has already spoken with both of them several times in recent weeks, chatting for approximately 45 minutes with the Russian president and an hour with his Ukrainian counterpart, as part of his attempts to “continue the dialogue to identify the elements that should lead to a de-escalation ”

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, discussed this Thursday separately with his Russian and Ukrainian counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Volodimir Zelenski, respectively, the possibilities of continuing with the diplomatic path for a de-escalation in the Ukrainian crisis.

Macron, who has already spoken with both of them several times in recent weeks, spoke for approximately 45 minutes with Putin and an hour with Zelensky, as part of his attempts to “continue the dialogue to identify the elements that should lead to de-escalation,” sources said. of the Elysee.

The talks focused on two issues, the first of which was how to capitalize on the recent advances of the Normandy Format (made up of France, Germany, Ukraine and Russia) in order to achieve a solution to the conflict in the Ukrainian region of Donbas.

The second is the launch of a discussion to achieve “a strategic balance in Europe” that allows a reduction of risks and guarantees the security of the continent, the sources added.

For now, there is no news about a possible visit by Macron to Moscow or Kiev , something that had been speculated in diplomatic circles.

Previously, Macron had also spoken with the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, as part of the attempt to reach an agreement between the European partners and to whom he also informed him about his conversation yesterday, Wednesday, with the US president, Joe Biden.

Macron and Duda stressed their determination to safeguard Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

The French leader stressed his willingness to contribute to a firm NATO position in Central and Eastern Europe, and supported the Polish initiative to renew the dialogue on European security within the OSCE.

In addition, both discussed the possibility of holding a tripartite summit with Germany, France and Poland in Berlin.

For her part, the White House spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, denounced on Thursday that Russia maintains its ” escalation ” in the Ukrainian conflict by stating that Moscow intends to multiply the presence of troops in Belarus.

During a conversation with journalists on the way to New York, the Press Secretary said that there are 5,000 Russian soldiers on the border between Belarus and Ukraine and that Moscow plans to multiply this number to 30,000 . “This is clearly an escalation of the conflict and not a de-escalation,” she reproached.

Likewise, Psaki recalled that the Joe Biden government is holding ” talks ” with Congress to approve economic sanctions against Russia in the event of an invasion of Ukraine. “ We have very close conversations with members of Congress about this legislation. We believe that a package of economic sanctions has a deterrent effect, as we are already seeing in the Russian markets ”, he stated.