MOSCOW, April 14. /TASS/. There are no plans for a phone call between Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron before or after Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s visit to Paris so far, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.
"So far no [no plans - TASS], but such contacts arise very quickly if needed," the spokesman said.
On Tuesday, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s Spokeswoman Yulia Mendel reported that the Ukrainian leader plans to bring up the situation in Donbass and the build-up of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine during a meeting with Macron planned for April 16.
Tensions in Donbass surged at the end of February, as exchanges of gunfire involving mortars and grenade launchers were registered daily despite the agreement on additional measures to secure a ceasefire dated July 22, 2020.
Serious gun battles have resumed on the line of contact, with both sides reporting casualties and wounded. Ukraine accused the Donbass republics of this de-escalation. In turn, the self-proclaimed republics stated that the reason for this flare-up was Kiev’s non-adherence to the July agreements.
On March 30, Putin held a video conference call with Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel. In particular, he expressed concern over the destabilization of the situation in Donbass by Kiev. The Kremlin press service noted that while discussing the situation in Ukraine, the sides reaffirmed that there is no alternative to the 2015 Minsk Agreements "as the basis for regulating the domestic conflict in the country."