Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Talks between Macron and Putin fail to produce Ukraine breakthrough

Talks between Macron and Putin fail to produce Ukraine breakthrough

French president says both sides need to work quickly after five-hour session at the Kremlin

Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin did not appear to reach a breakthrough in marathon talks at the Kremlin on Monday evening aimed at fending off a Russian attack on Ukraine.

After five hours of negotiations, Macron warned that the two sides needed to work quickly to avoid the risk of an escalation.

“Right now the tension is increasing and the risk of destabilisation is increasing,” Macron said, according to a simultaneous translation of his remarks following the talks. “Neither Russia, nor the Europeans want chaos or instability, when nations have already suffered from the [coronavirus] epidemic. So we need to agree on concrete measures.”

Macron is due to travel to Kyiv on Tuesday, where he will hold talks with the president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. He said he plans to brief Putin on the results of the discussions in a phone call.

It is not clear how Macron’s shuttle diplomacy can satisfy Russia’s demands that Ukraine membership in Nato be ruled out while maintaining that the alliance’s open door policy is “existential for Europe”, as he said in opening remarks.

There were some signs of progress from the talks, which were held over a seven-course dinner that included rebo and chardonnay from a Russian winery.

Without going into specifics, Putin said it was possible to consider “a number of [Macron’s] proposals and ideas … in order to lay a foundation for our further steps.”

But he also blasted Nato’s open door policy, saying it only benefited the United States. He also appeared to be needling Ukraine’s Zelenskiy by saying that Russia was ready to offer political asylum to his rival Petro Poroshenko, who has been charged with treason over his alleged involvement with financing Moscow-backed separatists.

“I believe [Poroshenko’s] made a lot of mistakes,” Putin said. “And yet I believe his prosecution for treason is excessive by the incumbent leadership. We stand ready to grant such people as Mr Poroshenko asylum in Russia.”

As the two met, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said that Putin had “added to his force capability along that border with Ukraine and in Belarus”. US officials have said that Russia already has more than 70% of the troops it would need to launch an attack on Ukraine, and some analysts have said they believe the Kremlin is buying time for its buildup in its negotiations with western leaders.

Macron had warned against expecting “miracles” in his talks with Vladimir Putin.

The French president had been upbeat about the chances of finding a compromise over European security that would persuade Putin not to order an invasion but, on arrival in Moscow on Monday, Macron sought to play down expectations.

“We can prevent some things in the short term,” he said in Moscow, but added: “I don’t think there are short-term victories.

“I don’t believe in spontaneous miracles. There is lots of tensions, nervousness,” Macron added.

French president Emmanuel Macron (R) holds talks with Russian president Vladimir Putin (L) in Moscow.


Before the high-stakes meeting, ​Moscow had​ also​ sought to temper expectations.​

​“The situation is too complex to expect decisive breakthroughs in the course of one meeting​,” said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov.​ ​“​In recent days there has been nothing new on the topic of security guarantees for Russia, our western interlocutors prefer not to mention this topic.​”

Macron’s meeting with Putin was part of a frenetic day of diplomacy under the shadow of a possible new war in Europe. Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, was meeting Joe Biden at the White House and the country’s foreign minister, Annalena Baerbock, was in Kyiv, assuring the Ukrainian government of support. Meanwhile, the US and the EU held talks in Washington on how to keep energy supplies flowing to Europe if Russia turned off the flow of natural gas.

After their White House meeting, Biden and Scholz presented a united front in threatening sanctions in the event of a Russian attack. But while Biden was adamant that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia to Germany would be shut down, Scholz would not be so specific.

“If Russia invades – that means tanks or troops crossing the border of Ukraine again – then there will no longer be a Nord Stream 2. We will bring an end to it,” Biden said.

Scholz said that the US and Germany would be “absolutely united” on sanctions, he would not pledge Nord Stream 2 would be closed, insisting on some ambiguity.

“It is part of the process that we do not spell out everything in public, because Russia could understand that there might be even more to come,” the German chancellor said.

Asked about the likelihood of Putin ordering an invasion, Biden replied: “I know that he’s in a position now to be able to invade, almost assuming that the ground is frozen above Kyiv. He has the capacity to do that. What he’s going to do I don’t know.”

The president said that it would be a “gigantic mistake” for Putin to attack, but he advised US civilians to leave Ukraine, saying: “I don’t want them to get caught in the crossfire.”

Josep Borrell, the EU foreign policy chief, led the European delegation to Washington to discuss emergency energy supplies to the continent if the pipeline running through Ukraine was severed.

“We are living by understanding the most dangerous moment for the security in Europe after the end of the cold war,” Borrell said, giving a new estimate of the Russian military buildup.

“Nobody masses 140,000 heavily armed soldiers on the border of a country, at the same time [as questioning] the independence to this country in a way that certainly represents a strong threat,” Borrell said, adding that the Russian troops were not there “to have tea”.

He said that European gas prices were already six to 10 times higher than a year ago, adding urgency to the need to diversify energy sources.

“When Russia halted gas supplies over a dispute with Ukraine in 2009, people died from the cold. And when energy supplies fail, economies falter,” the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said.

“We’re determined to prevent that from happening and to mitigate the impact on energy supplies and prices should Russia choose to cut natural gas supplies to Europe more than it already has.”

The US and EU are trying to secure short-notice deliveries of liquified natural gas (LNG) and agreements to pool reserves in the face of limits on the supply for the east, as well as LNG supply and infrastructure constraints that make it very hard to make up the shortfall.

“It’s clear that from the general nature of the comments from secretary Blinken and high commissioner Burrell that they’re still scrambling in terms of their response to this situation,” said Duncan Wood, vice-president for strategy and new initiatives and the Wilson Center thinktank.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Altman Says GPT-5 Already Outpaces Him, Warns AI Could Automate 40% of Work
Russian Research Vessel 'Yantar' Tracked Mapping Europe’s Subsea Cables, Raising Security Alarms
Global Cruise Industry Posts Dramatic Comeback with 34.6 Million Passengers in 2024
U.S. Demands Brussels Scrutinize Digital Rules to Prevent Bias Against American Tech
Private Equity’s Fundraising Surge Triggers Concern of European Market Shake-Out
Tokyo’s Jimbōchō Named World’s Coolest Neighbourhood for 2025
European Officials Fear Trump May Shift Blame for Ukraine War onto EU
The Personality Rights Challenge in India’s AI Era
Italy Considers Freezing Retirement Age at 67 to Avert Scheduled Hike
Italian City to Impose Tax on Visiting Dogs Starting in 2026
Study Finds No Safe Level of Alcohol for Dementia Risk
Trump Says Ukraine Can Fully Restore Borders with NATO Backing
Europe Signals Stronger Support for Taiwan at Major Taipei Defence Show
Germany Weighs Excluding France from Key European Fighter Jet Programme
Cyberattack Disrupts Check-in and Boarding Systems at Major European Airports
Björn Borg Breaks Silence: Memoir Reveals Addiction, Shame and Cancer Battle
When Extremism Hijacks Idealism: How the Baader-Meinhof Gang Emerged and Fell
JWST Data Brings TRAPPIST-1e Closer to Earth-Like Habitability
Trump Orders $100,000 Fee on H-1B Visas and Launches ‘Gold Card’ Immigration Pathway
France’s Looming Budget Crisis and Political Fracture Raise Fears of Becoming Europe’s “Sick Man”
Three Russian MiG-31 Jets Breach Estonian Airspace in ‘Unprecedentedly Brazen’ NATO Incident
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
Apple Unveils iPhone 17 Series, iPhone Air, Apple Watch 11 and More at 'Awe Dropping' Event
France joins Eurozone’s ‘periphery’ as turmoil deepens, say investors
France Faces New Political Crisis, again, as Prime Minister Bayrou Pushed Out
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
×