PARIS, February 9. /TASS/. Coordinated actions, aimed at de-escalating the situation in Ukraine, will continue, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters at a joint news conference with the leaders of Germany and Poland on Tuesday night.
"The diplomatic negotiations of the past days were coordinated during last week’s phone conversations. And we will continue to act next week, pursuing simple goals: first of all, [we need] to avoid a war. Peace and stability on the European continent are our heritage, and we believe that we must do everything possible to preserve it," Macron said.
In his words, unity among "Europeans and their allies" must be safeguarded under any circumstances, and Europe’s values and principles, such as sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, must be respected.
The French president went on to say that the United States and NATO were working on security guarantees.
"New paths emerged in recent days, we worked together to achieve this. We are still willing to continue the demanding dialogue, remaining loyal to our principles, goals and values. <…> At the same time, we stood united during the dialogue with Russia, aimed at reducing escalation risks, creating de-escalation and building a sustainable peace," the French leader said.
Macron held talks with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev on Tuesday. The French leader discussed the situation in Ukraine, among other things, with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday. He spoke in favor of de-escalation and diplomatic solution of the Donbass conflict on many occassions.