Russian, French presidents discuss Ukraine crisis in phone call

By Dilara Hamit

ANKARA (AA) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron spoke on the phone Saturday about the Ukraine crisis, according to the French presidency.

The one-hour-and-40-minute phone call followed up on Macron’s visit to Moscow this Monday, said a statement.

In the call, Macron and Putin spoke about ways to move forward on implementation of the 2014 Minsk Protocol for Donbas, in conflict-ridden Eastern Ukraine, and continued their discussion on the conditions for security and stability in Europe.

They both expressed a desire to continue dialogue on these two points, said the presidency.

Macron relayed the concerns of his European partners and allies to his counterpart, telling Putin that sincere dialogue is not compatible with escalation.

The call came a day after the US said Russia could invade Ukraine “at any time.”

Ukraine has been plagued by conflict in its eastern regions since March 2014, following Russia’s invasion and annexation of Crimea.

Moscow recently amassed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine, prompting fears that the Kremlin could be planning another military offensive against its ex-Soviet neighbor.

Russia denies it is preparing to invade and has accused Western countries of undermining its security by NATO’s expansion toward its borders.

The Kremlin also issued a list of security demands to the West, including a rollback of troop deployments from some ex-Soviet states and guarantees that Ukraine and Georgia would not join NATO.