French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak by phone on Sunday, as diplomatic efforts to avert further Russian invasion of Ukraine continue.
“Macron has become Putin's most frequent person to have conversation with in recent days (in recent times). The leaders of Russia and France will talk by phone over the weekend," Russia's state-run news agency RIA Novosti reported in a Twitter post Saturday.
The call between Macron and Putin is due to take place a day after the French President spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had an “urgent” conversation Macron Saturday, where he discussed the “need and possible ways of immediate de-escalation,” as the US and allies insist Russia is moving to conduct an attack on Ukraine.
“Had an urgent conversation with President @EmmanuelMacron. Informed about the aggravation on the frontline, our losses, the shelling of [Ukraine’s] politicians & international journalists. Discussed the need and possible ways of immediate de-escalation & political-diplomatic settlement,” Zelensky tweeted.
Zelensky also told the French president that Kyiv won’t respond to provocations from separatists in the Donbas region, an Élysée Palace source said following the hour-long phone conversation.
The two leaders agreed on the need to find a diplomatic solution to the current crisis, according to the source.
“The President [Macron] will take all the useful initiatives to ensure peace and security in Europe,” the source said.
For Paris, the important task now is to open talks that can guarantee the sovereignty and safety of Ukraine, and Kyiv will be included in these discussions, the source said.
“Nothing regarding Ukraine will be decided without the Ukranians,” the Élysée Palace source said.
Referring to the upcoming call between Macron and Putin, the source added Paris hopes to “construct a useful roadmap for the coming days.”