Brussels – Reuters
Leaders of France, Germany and Ukraine sought to renew talks with Moscow on Wednesday as Washington expressed growing concern about Russia’s military build-up to prevent the West from saying there may be preparations for a new offensive on Ukrainian soil.
The office of French President Emmanuel Macron met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholes and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zhelensky on the sidelines of the EU summit in Brussels to discuss ways to resume talks within the framework known as the “Normandy Formula”. Including Russia.
“The three leaders reaffirmed their commitment to this form of negotiation to find a lasting solution to the conflict and to safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” the office added.
“Any violation of regional unity will come at a high price, and we will speak with one voice to our European partners and our allies on both sides of the Atlantic,” Schulz said in Berlin, adding that he still wanted “constructive dialogue.” With Russia.
In a tweet on Twitter, Zelensky expressed his hope for gaining France’s support to counter Russia’s hostility in Europe, as Paris holds the rotating EU leadership for six months.
Ukraine is currently the center of tensions between Russia and the West. The United States says Russia has amassed 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine, which could be a prelude to an invasion, and Moscow says its operations are purely defensive.
Zelensky said on Wednesday that his country was ready for any kind of talks with Russia but wanted to avoid further escalation of a strong Western embargo against Moscow.
On the other hand, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan reiterated that his country was deeply concerned about the Russian military presence on the border with Ukraine.
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