Michel Rose and Dmitry Antonov

MOSCOW, (Reuters) – Russia has reaffirmed its hope for a rapid breakthrough in Ukraine’s crisis. This was despite talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. Macron flew from France to Moscow on Monday and expressed his desire to ease tensions from the talks with President Vladimir Putin.

The White House claiming that Putin could launch an attack against Ukraine in days or even weeks was not enough to calm the Kremlin, who said that the situation was still volatile and that the West is ignoring its security needs.

“In the recent days, there have been no new developments on security guarantees for Russia. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson said that Western interlocutors would prefer to not mention the topic. Instead, Peskov said that Western capitals were sending in statements about the imminent Russian attack against Ukraine.

Russia has sent more than 100,000 soldiers near Ukraine’s border. While Russia has denied any plans to invade, Putin said that Moscow would be willing to adopt unspecified “military technical measures” in the event of its concern.

French officials believe Washington is being too alarmist in his concern about an imminent invasion.

“The geopolitical objective of Russia today is clearly not Ukraine, but to clarify the rules of cohabitation with NATO and the EU,” Macron told the Journal du Dimanche newspaper ahead of his trip to Russia.

He said that he would not make unilateral gestures but that it was essential to avoid a situation from deteriorating before building mechanisms and mutual gestures of trust.

Peskov claimed that Russia is aware of Macron’s desire to alleviate tensions. However, he added, “The situation in too complex for us to expect decisive breakthroughs during one meeting.”

NATO and the United States of America have rejected Russian demands for Ukraine to be excluded from NATO. They also want them to pull out forces of Eastern Europe. Moscow claims that they have not gone far enough in offering to talk about arms control and confidence building measures.

Putin met Macron around 1400 GMT to have talks. This was followed by a dinner together and a news conference.

DEFENSIVE ALLIANCE

A British Prime Minister’s spokesperson said that Russian fears about possible NATO aggression are “fundamentally unfounded” since NATO is an alliance of defense. To reassure Moscow, he said that Britain was willing to cooperate with Moscow.

Russia sees NATO’s 14 additions of new members from east Europe since the Cold War as an invasion of its sphere and threat to its security.

On Monday, Annalena Bock (German Foreign Minister) promised Ukraine her unwavering support as she traveled to Kyiv for the second time in three weeks.

Germany said last month it would send 5,000 military helmets to Ukraine – an offer derided https://www.reuters.com/article/us-ukraine-crisis-germany-idCAKBN2K01DZ by Kyiv’s mayor as “a joke” as Ukraine seeks weapons to defend itself.

Germany has said no to sending lethal weaponry due to historical issues arising out of its participation in the wars world-wide. But Dmytrokuleba (Ukraine Foreign Minister) stated that he would bring the matter up with Baerbock.

The German government has publicly and repeatedly explained the decision. These explanations about Ukraine are unfair, we believe. “We believe there’s more space for Germany,” he stated.

After sixteen years of Angela Merkel leadership, the White House was scheduled to host Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The two will then visit Kyiv next Monday.