russia: Ahead of Putin talks, Macron optimistic but does not believe in miracles – Times of India

MOSCOW: French President Emmanuel Macron, the top Western leader to visit Moscow since Russia began massing troops on the border with Ukraine, said on Monday he was optimistic ahead of talks with Vladimir Putin but did not believe in miracles.
Russia played down hopes of a swift breakthrough in the talks, which open a new week of intense diplomacy after Washington sent thousands of troops to Europe and warned that Russia could invade within days.
“I’m reasonably optimistic but I don’t believe in spontaneous miracles,” Macron told reporters shortly after landing in the Russian capital.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said: “The situation is too complex to expect decisive breakthroughs in the course of one meeting.”
Macron, who faces an election in April, has positioned himself as a potential mediator, with French officials voicing scepticism over predictions by Washington, London and other capitals that a Russian assault is imminent.
“The geopolitical objective of Russia today is clearly not Ukraine, but to clarify the rules of cohabitation with Nato and the EU,” Macron told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper ahead of his trip to Russia.
Russia has deployed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders. It denies planning an invasion, but says it is ready to take unspecified “military-technical measures” if demands are not met, including a promise by Nato never to admit Ukraine and to withdraw some troops from Eastern Europe.
Washington has rejected those demands as non-starters but says it is willing to talk about arms control and confidence-building steps, which Moscow says are beside the point.
“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,” Peskov said.
The United States and its allies have ruled out defending Ukraine with military force but say they would respond to any invasion with sanctions, arms sales and reinforcement of Nato countries nearby.
Last week Biden ordered nearly 3,000 U.S. troops to deploy in Poland and Romania to better protect Nato’s eastern flank. A U.S. general arrived in Poland on Saturday and the bulk of the new forces due there were expected to arrive on Monday.
Putin was due to meet Macron at around 1400 GMT for talks followed by a working dinner and a joint news conference.
Defensive alliance
In London, a spokesman for British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said Russian concerns about potential Nato aggression were “fundamentally unfounded as Nato is a defensive alliance at its heart”. He said Britain wanted to work with Moscow to provide it with reassurance on that point.
Russia, however, sees Nato’s addition of 14 new east European members since the Cold War ended three decades ago as an encroachment on its sphere of influence and a threat to its security.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock promised unequivocal support for Ukraine on Monday as she headed to Kyiv for her second trip in three weeks.
Germany said last month it would send 5,000 military helmets to Ukraine – an offer derided by Kyiv’s mayor as “a joke” as Ukraine seeks weapons to defend itself.
Germany has ruled out sending lethal weapons for historical reasons arising from its role in the world wars of the 20th century, but Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he would raise the issue again with Baerbock.
“Germany has repeatedly and publicly explained this decision. We consider these explanations regarding Ukraine to be unfair. We believe that there is a wider space for Germany to act,” he said.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who took office last year after 16 years of leadership by Angela Merkel, was due to meet Biden at the White House on Monday and will visit Kyiv next week.

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