Pavel Polityuk, Dmitry Antonov

MOSCOW/KYIV – On Tuesday, the Kremlin discredited the claim that Vladimir Putin promised French President Emmanuel Macron Russia would not stage any further maneuvers in Ukraine. This reaffirms a French tentative assertion of diplomatic success.

Macron visited Moscow Monday as the highest-ranking Western leader who has met Putin since Moscow gathered more than 100,000 troops close to the Ukrainian border in preparation for war.

Macron and Putin didn’t announce breakthroughs Monday at a press conference. A French official however, who spoke on condition of anonymity with reporters, stated overnight that Putin had pledged to not hold any new manoeuvres close to Ukraine.

A second official stated that Putin has promised to remove Russian troops and forces from Belarus following the conclusion of all exercises scheduled later in this month.

Dmitry Peskov, spokesperson for the Kremlin, said that reports of an undertaking to not hold maneuvers in Ukraine are “not correct”.

Peskov also stated that Putin did not make any new promises about the departure of Russian troops from Belarus. While they expected them to return to Russia after the drills ended, Peskov said that no one said they would be staying in Belarus.

Macron’s Elysee Palace Office appeared to rebut the French official’s comments on Tuesday. The official said that Macron was not referring specifically to a Russian promise but rather points discussed between Macron and Putin.

Macron claimed that his mission prevented the situation from getting worse. After arriving in Kyiv as a journalist, Macron said that he had not expected Putin to make concessions.

WESTERN INVASION FEARS

The United States and other Western nations fear that Putin may be preparing an invasion of Ukraine. Moscow claims it doesn’t plan to invade Ukraine, but may take unknown “military technical measures”, if a few security requirements are not met. This includes a NATO promise never to admit Kyiv.

If Russia attacks Ukraine, the United States of America and the European Union threaten sanctions against Russia.

Joe Biden of the United States warned Monday that if Russia invades Ukraine “there won’t be anymore Nord Stream 2”. However, he did not provide any details about how he planned to ensure the pipeline linking Russia and Germany was not used.

Macron is likely to run for re-election. He has described himself as a mediator. Macron stated before his departure to Moscow that Russia had no plans to invade Ukraine, but that he wanted to renew European security arrangements.

Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian foreign minister, stated that Kyiv is “waiting in interest” for signals from Moscow that Mr Macron had brought to them. However, he said: “We will never cross our redlines. No one will force us to.”

While he didn’t specify the specific red lines, Kyiv stated repeatedly that it will oppose any negotiations regarding its fate. It also opposed any deal or compromise with Russia to limit its rights to become a NATO member.