President Vladimir Putin told French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Friday that the West was ignoring Moscow’s security concerns over Ukraine but added that Russia would hold off from taking action immediately.
Putin and Macron spoke by phone amid deep fears that a Russian troop build-up on the Ukrainian border is a precursor to a Russian invasion of its pro-Western neighbour.Russia denies any plans to invade but has demanded wide-ranging security guarantees from the West, including that Ukraine never be allowed to join NATO.
The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin and Macron held a “long telephone conversation” and that Putin expressed his dissatisfaction with a US response to Moscow’s demands that was delivered earlier this week.“The US and NATO responses did not take into account Russia’s fundamental concerns including preventing NATO’s expansion and refusing to deploy strike weapons systems near Russia’s borders,” Putin told Macron, according to a readout of the call from the Kremlin.
Russia has deployed some 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders in recent weeks, prompting warnings from the West of severe consequences should it invade its pro-Western neighbour.
Macron had announced earlier this week he would hold the telephone talks with Putin in the spirit of a “demanding dialogue” with Russia for clarification over Moscow’s intentions on Ukraine. “Now the ball is in Putin’s court,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told RTL radio Friday.
