Paris [France]: French President Emmanuel Macron intends to hold talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and possibly with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming days.
“I will again hold phone conversations with President Zelenskyy and, if necessary, with President Putin over the coming days,” Macron said on air of the France 2 broadcaster.
Another round of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations was held in Istanbul on March 29. Following the talks, Russian chief negotiator Vladimir Medinsky said that the talks were constructive, with Moscow following up with an announcement that it will scale down its military activities in the Kiev and Chernihiv regions. Medinsky also said that Kiev demonstrated its will to adopt neutral status under a system of security guarantees from Germany, Canada, Poland, Israel and Turkey, as well as the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, including Russia.
On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian forces. In response, the US and the EU rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow, which includes airspace closures and restrictive measures targeting numerous Russian officials and entities, media and financial institutions. (ANI/Sputnik)
