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French President Emmanuel Macron has said he believes an agreement can be reached to avoid war in Ukraine and that it is legitimate for Russia to address security concerns.
Before meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, he called for a “new balance”, to protect European states and to appease Russia.
He reiterated that Ukraine’s sovereignty is out of the question.
Russia has gathered about 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine, but denies plans for invasion.
Moscow has made several demands, including that Ukraine not become a member of NATO and that the alliance reduce its military presence in eastern Europe.
The West has rejected these demands, offering other topics for discussion, including the reduction of nuclear weapons.
Macron told the Journal du Dimanche that Russia’s goal “is not Ukraine, but clarifying the rules with NATO and the European Union.”
He has said he hopes dialogue with the Russian president will be enough to prevent military conflict.
Macron has also said he believes Putin will be open to discussing major issues.
Macron, who also spoke with US President Joe Biden on Sunday, warned against expecting Moscow to take unilateral measures to escalate the situation and said Russia had a right to express its concerns.
But he also said that the dialogue with Russia “should not take place through the weakening of any European state.”
“We must protect the European brothers by proposing a new balance that enables the preservation of sovereignty and peace,” he said.
Two U.S. officials have told the Reuters news agency that Russia has gathered about 70 percent of the military capacity it needs to fully occupy Ukraine.
However, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has reduced threats of rapid invasion.
“Do not believe in apocalyptic predictions. “Different capitals have different scenarios, but Ukraine is ready for any development,” he said in a Twitter post.
If Russia invades Ukraine, this would not be the first time.
Russia annexed the Ukrainian Peninsula of Crimea in 2014.
The country also supports rebels in conflicts in eastern Ukraine, in which some 14,000 people have died.
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