French President Macron comments on time to resolve Ukraine crisis

According to Al Jazeera news site,President Macron, who is trying to revive peace talks to end nearly eight years of conflict in eastern Ukraine, said on February 8 that his hours-long meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin a day earlier had helped ensure “no worsening, and (moreover) no escalation” of tensions in the region.

On the same day, Mr. Macron held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev. After the talks, the French leader said that the urgent thing at the moment is to cool down tensions in the region.

According to Mr. Macron, both Presidents Putin and Zelensky pledged to respect the Minsk agreements, and were able to promote the negotiation process between the parties. The Minsk agreements were signed by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany between 2014 and 2015, with the aim of ending the conflict between the Ukrainian government forces and pro-Russian separatist forces in the East of the country.

Regarding the conflict between Russia and the West surrounding Moscow's military deployment near the border with Ukraine, President Macron said: "For my part, I believe that there will be concrete, practical solutions that will allow us to move forward."

Still, the French leader acknowledged Russia's role in the crisis, adding: "Given its current position, Russia has decided to put pressure on the international community... We cannot underestimate the tense moment we are living through."

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kiev is waiting for a move from Russian President Vladimir Putin to show that the Russian leader is serious about de-escalating tensions and withdrawing troops from areas near the border with Ukraine.

“Openness is always great, if it is serious and not a joke,” President Zelensky told reporters after talks with his French counterpart. “I don’t really believe in words, but I believe that every politician can be transparent by taking concrete steps.”