PARIS, January 28. /TASS/. French and Russian Presidents, Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin, who had a telephone call on Friday, agreed that efforts are needed to deescalate tensions in Ukraine, France Presse reported, citing the Elysee Palace.

According to the agency, the two leaders agreed "on the necessity of de-escalation." "President Putin states utterly clearly that he doesn’t seek confrontation," it said.

The two presidents also agreed that a dialogue on strategic stability is needed and it should involve Europeans, along with the United States and NATO. The dialogue is difficult but "channels for discussion stay open," it stressed.

Recently, Western and Ukrainian media outlets have been echoing claims about Russia’s possible aggression against Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov earlier slammed such statements as "empty and groundless" and their goal is to whip up tensions. He stressed that Russia doesn’t pose any threat to anyone, but did not rule out possible provocations to justify the remarks in question and warned that attempts at using force to settle the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have the most serious consequences.