French, German foreign ministers to visit Ukraine for talks

By Shweta Desai

PARIS (AA) - The French and German foreign ministers will travel to Ukraine as part of efforts to de-escalate tensions with Russia.

A statement by the French Foreign Ministry said that Jean-Yves Le Drian and his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock will visit Kyiv on Feb. 7-8.

Russia recently amassed tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine’s eastern border, prompting fears that the Kremlin could be planning another military offensive against its former Soviet neighbor.

Moscow has denied that it is preparing to invade and said its troops are there for exercises.

Le Drian said he assured the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba of “full support and solidarity.”

“Our mobilization continues, particularly in the Normandy format, for the de-escalation of tensions,” he said on Twitter.

Earlier this week, France hosted a high-level meeting of advisors to the heads of State of Normandy Four – Germany, France, Russia, and Ukraine – in Paris.

President Emmanuel Macron has been personally engaging in dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

France, which is currently holding the presidency of the Council of the EU, has vowed that the bloc will not hesitate to impose sanctions as deterrence if Russia undermines Ukraine’s territorial integrity.