Russian President Vladimir Putin has reportedly promised not to carry out new military initiatives near Ukraine for the time being, a French official said after Putin had talks with France’s Emmanuel Macron on Feb. 7.
There was no mention of what the French leader may have proposed as an incentive for the Russian leader to deescalate accumulated tensions.
According to Ukrainian newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda the French official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Putin also agreed that troops taking part in military exercises on Belarusian territory near Ukraine’s borders would be pulled back once those exercises, planned for February 10-20, are over.
Putin did not mention such concessions when he spoke to media after his six hours of talks with Macron.
The French official said that during the talks Macron had agreed to “open dialogue on strategic questions,” but there were no details on what that might involve.
Macron arrived today in Kyiv for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky. Further details are awaited
