15172826 15172826 The presidents of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the United States, Joe Biden, agreed this Tuesday (15) that the announcement of the withdrawal of part of Russian troops from the border with Ukraine is an encouraging sign, but they highlighted that this step must still be verified and that it is necessary to have “prudence”.
A The conversation between Macron and Biden, the fourth they have on the crisis between Russia and Ukraine, served to confirm the opinion of both that it is necessary to “take note of these measures”, “assess the quality of this announcement” and “check its reach and meaning”, according to sources from the Élysée Palace, seat of the French presidency.
15172826 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov earlier confirmed the withdrawal of some Russian troops from the border with Ukraine, although he clarified that it was not a reaction to Western “hysteria”, but a programmed step. .
“We are looking for a way out of the crisis and for that we have to start from somewhere. A good start is the reduction of the military device. We don’t draw any further conclusions. We have to build a way out of the crisis as things progress”, declared the French sources.
The same sources stressed that the intentions of Russian President Vladimir Putin must be verified, because “many things can still happen”, and vigilance and commitment to diplomacy are needed.
Although there are images of the withdrawal, Russia continues to carry out “major air, naval and land maneuvers” on the border , which is why the Russian operations “did not end”, they pointed out.
“Everything is very fragile, we must be cautious”, stressed the sources, who insisted that the objective is to put an end to Russian maneuvers, “decidedly promote negotiation within the framework of the Normandy Format” and open to other partners a broader discussion around security in Europe.
In this sense, Macron will have a conversation with the Chinese dictator Xi Jinping , on Wednesday (16), as your country is a permanent member of the Council Security Council “and has a particular responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security.”
The current challenge, according to the Élysée, is to assess the quality of Russian announcements about the end of a certain number of military maneuvers and “not to analyze anything too hastily”, because the Russian device “remains very impressive”.
“Many things can happen before returning to a kind of normalcy” , added the French presidency, which highlighted the importance of intensifying diplomatic work, which led Macron to speak or meet in recent days with Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. 15172826