French Prez Macron vows to safeguard Ukraine's sovereignty amid threat of Russian invasion

French President Emmanuel Macron, on Friday, held a phone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky wherein he pledged his support to Kyiv, a commitment that comes amidst the escalating threat of a possible Russian invasion. As the Putin administration continues to mobilise its troops along the Russia-Ukrainian border, several western countries including the US have vowed to support Ukraine and safeguard its sovereignty and territorial integrity. Earlier this week, American President Joe Biden warned that he would not refrain from imposing economic sanctions if Russian attempts to invade the ex-Soviet Proto state. The European Union has also threatened major repercussions to Moscow in case of an invasion. 

During the phone call, both Macron and Zelelnsky agreed to relaunch talks in the four-way Normandy format. Launched in 2014, the talks involve participation from Russia, France, Ukraine and Germany (Normandy Format Group). The special talks aim at resolving the conflict in Ukraine’s contested Donbas region. On Friday, the French President asserted that he will speak to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the coming days and that would speak with Zelensky again in Brussels on December 15.

Over 120,000 troops on border 

Since the beginning of this year, the Russian Federation has mobilised troops near the Donbas region of Ukraine. This has escalated fears of a possible annexation of the erstwhile Soviet state by Russia. More recently, Ukrainian intelligence services have also predicted that a “large scale escalation” could take place as early as next month. According to the latest report by CNN, the number of Russian troops on the border have topped 120,000, including additional army, air force and naval personnel.

Last week, NATO  Chief Jens Stoltenberg cautioned the international community against Moscow’s “unclear intentions.” “There is no certainty, no clarity about exactly what are the Russian intentions, and they may evolve and change,” the NATO chief said. To back his stance, he highlighted the Russian invasion of Crimea in 2014 and said, “They’ve done it before." 

(With inputs from agencies)

(Image: AP)