Top French and German leaders to visit Russia, Ukraine amid soaring border tension

Amid the soaring tension between Ukraine, Russia and the West, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit Moscow and Kyiv in the next week to bolster diplomatic efforts to discourage the Russian President from initiating an assault on Ukraine and to find a solution to the rising tensions. Macron will visit Russia on Monday and Ukraine on Tuesday, whereas Scholz will visit Ukraine on February 14 and Russia on February 15, Associated Press reported.  

These high-level meetings will happen after China supported Russia's demand that NATO should not expand into Ukraine. While France is a significant NATO participant and is sending soldiers to Romania as part of the alliance's preparations for probable Russian aggression, Macron has been pressing for conversation with Putin and has talked to him numerous times in recent weeks. Macron's office said on Friday that the two will talk one-on-one on Monday. 

France and Germany's various diplomatic approaches to resolve tension

Further, Germany has also underlined the significance of various diplomatic approaches in resolving tensions and has declined to supply arms to Ukraine, causing some allies to get dissatisfied. Scholz has also been chastised in his native country for maintaining a low public role during the crisis, as per Associated Press.  

In addition to this, French President Emmanuel Macron's office stated that he addressed and discussed possibilities with Russian and Ukrainian leaders on Thursday night to "identify elements that could lead to de-escalation", as well as "conditions for strategic balance in Europe, which should allow for the reduction of risks on the ground and guarantee security on the continent." 

However, it is still uncertain how much of an influence the visits will have after weeks of negotiations in numerous diplomatic contexts which had achieved no big concessions from Russia and the United States. However, Ukraine's Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, stated on Friday that these "top-level visits" might significantly minimise security issues and “upset the Kremlin’s plans.” 

Meanwhile, United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken had spoken with Kuleba on Friday about Russia's military buildup and initiatives to urge "Russia to pursue diplomacy" over conflict and guarantee security and stability.  According to State Department spokesperson Ned Price, Blinken emphasised the US and its partners' readiness to impose fast and serious repercussions on Russia if it chooses to escalate. 

It is worth mentioning that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine started as Moscow stationed almost a million troops in the Donbas region, signalling a probable invasion of Kyiv. While the West has raised concern over the massive number of soldiers, Russia has rejected concerns that the movement is a threat to Ukraine's territorial integrity, describing it as routine training inside its borders. 

(Image: AP)