PARIS, February 7. /TASS/. The head of the French Senate’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Armed Forces, Christian Cambon, expressed hope on Monday that the Monday’s visit to Russia by President Emmanuel Macron will help to settle the crisis around Ukraine.
"It is necessary to see that this mission bring concrete results," Cambon told the Public Senat parliamentary TV channel. "At the present we see the continuation of military preparations, and the situation remains dangerous," the senator said.
"Since assuming his office, President Macron has been in favor of keeping the dialogue with Russia going," he went on to say. "We in the Senate have also been always confident that the dialogue with Russia must be maintained. All that facilitates the dialogue is positive, from our point of view," Christian Cambon stressed.
He reiterated that on February 8, the French leader planned to visit Kiev as part of his diplomatic mission. "Ukraine also needs to take steps on its part to facilitate the settlement," he added.
On Monday, Macron heads to Russia for talks with President Vladimir Putin. The two leaders held three phone calls in the past ten days.
The West and Kiev have been echoing claims lately that Russia could invade Ukraine. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that these assertions were made to whip tensions in the region and that Russia didn’t threaten anyone. At the same time, he didn’t rule out provocations to back these Western statements and warned that the use of force to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine would have serious consequences.