The French presidency revealed part of the content of the phone call that took place between President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Saturday regarding the Ukrainian crisis.
The Élysée Palace stated that Macron warned Putin, during the call that lasted one hour and 40 minutes, that "a sincere dialogue is not compatible with military escalation" on the Ukrainian border.
The French presidency added that Macron and Putin "expressed their desire to continue the dialogue" about "ways to advance the implementation of the Minsk Agreement" related to Eastern Ukraine and "the conditions for security and stability in Europe."
It continued that the French president "conveyed the concerns of his European partners and allies."
For its part, the Kremlin stated that President Putin informed Macron that Western countries' accusations against Russia of planning to invade Ukraine are "provocative speculation."
The Russian presidency, in its statement, noted that "Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron discussed the situation related to the provocative speculation regarding an alleged 'Russian invasion' of Ukraine, which is accompanied by wide-scale provision of advanced weapons to this country."
French President Macron, who currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, had discussions with Putin in Moscow on Monday focused on the Ukrainian crisis, after which he traveled to Kyiv.
