Le Roux "Negotiations with France are meaningless"
Macron "There is progress" rebuttal
Suggests US as negotiation partner
[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] "Macron's shuttle diplomacy has failed to ease the crisis surrounding the Ukraine situation."
The New York Times (NYT) diagnosed this on the 8th (local time) in response to Russia denying France's announcement that there had been progress in negotiations to resolve the Ukraine crisis.
French President Emmanuel Macron said after a series of talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, "We have gained the possibility of advancing negotiations between Russia and Ukraine. We have seen concrete and substantial solutions to ease tensions between Russia and the West."
President Macron did not mention any specific agreements but conveyed that President Putin confirmed during the talks that he has no plans to escalate tensions within Ukraine.
Russia rebutted this. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it a "false claim," stating, "Russia and France cannot conduct any negotiations under the current circumstances. Dealing with France is meaningless."
President Putin, after a five-hour meeting the previous day where he received various proposals from President Macron to resolve the Ukraine situation, said, "Some of them help in resolving the crisis." This is his most progressive statement regarding the Ukraine issue recently.
However, President Macron suddenly reversed his position just before meeting President Zelensky in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, that day. The NYT analyzed, "Russia changed its stance even before the plane carrying President Macron landed in Kyiv," suggesting that Russia indicated its negotiation partner is the United States, not France.
The Kremlin also took issue with French government officials stating through the media that "Russian troops would withdraw after joint military exercises with Belarus this month and would not implement new military strategies near the Ukrainian border." Spokesman Peskov said, "Withdrawal is correct, but no specific promises were made regarding the withdrawal timeline."
He added, "President Putin believes that Western countries are still not ready to consider our concerns." The NYT explained this as a remark targeting the firm rejection by the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of Russia's demand to halt expansion into Eastern Europe.
Meanwhile, President Zelensky did not fully agree with France's optimistic outlook during a joint press conference with President Macron immediately after the talks.
He urged that President Putin take concrete measures to prove that he will ease tensions and withdraw troops from the Ukrainian border, saying, "I actually do not believe words. I believe all politicians can become transparent by taking concrete actions."
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