Macron-Putin Call Scheduled for 20th... France Says "Russia Shows Gap Between Words and Actions"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Chun-han] Amid concerns that Russia's invasion of Ukraine is imminent, French President Emmanuel Macron will have another phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

President Macron is reported by major foreign media to have first spoken with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the 19th (local time) and plans to talk with Putin on the 20th.

The French presidential office, the ?lys?e Palace, stated regarding the clashes in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, "The risk is increasing," and "We must take action to prevent the moment when everything collapses."

Earlier, President Macron flew to Moscow on the 7th to meet President Putin in person and had a phone call lasting about 100 minutes with Putin on the 12th, but failed to find any clues to resolve the conflict.

Before the call between the two heads of state, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian spoke with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the same day, the French Foreign Ministry announced.

Minister Le Drian expressed strong concern over the heightened tensions in eastern Ukraine in recent days and warned that Russia would pay a price if it violated Ukraine's territory and sovereignty.

Minister Le Drian pointed out that there is still room for Russia to resolve the issue through dialogue, and France will contribute to this, but noted that there is a discrepancy between Russia's actions and words today.

Earlier, U.S. President Joe Biden said in a White House speech the previous day, "At this point, I am confident that President Putin has decided to invade Ukraine."

President Biden stated, "Russia continues to build up troops around the Ukrainian border area," and "There is sufficient reason to believe that Russia will attack Ukraine within days."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.