MOSCOW, Feb. 7, 2022 (Xinhua) Russian President Vladimir Putin met his visiting French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Monday to discuss the Ukraine crisis and the issue of security in Europe.
Speaking at a joint press conference with Macron after their hours-long talks in the Kremlin, Putin said the meeting was practical and useful.
Putin added that Russia’s basic concerns about security were ignored by the United States and NATO and that the military alliance tried to lecture Russia on where and how to deploy its armed forces.
He told Macron that Kiev refuses to comply with the 2015 Minsk agreements on a peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian issue, but rather aims to dismantle the agreements, reiterating Russia’s refusal to expand NATO to the east.
For his part, Macron said during the press conference that he believes that there is still a chance to find a peaceful path for Europe, as new mechanisms are needed to ensure security, stressing the need to preserve existing agreements at the same time.
Macron stressed that there is no alternative to a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis, and that the Minsk agreements remain the basis for this solution.
On Moscow’s proposed security guarantees between Russia and the US-led NATO, Macron said negotiations should continue, although it would not be easy to reach consensus.
Putin and Macron agreed to hold phone talks after the latter’s visit to Kiev on Tuesday.