PARIS, February 20. /TASS/. The crisis in Ukraine still has a window of a diplomatic opportunity, French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Anne-Claire Legendre said on Saturday.
"We believe that the window for diplomacy is still open," she told the BFM television on Saturday, adding that "Russia should make a step towards de-escalation."
When asked about the response to a possible Russian offensive on Ukraine, the diplomat said the support to Kiev would be provided in the form of anti-Russian sanctions.
"The sanctions against Russia are ready," she said. "They have been devised with the purpose to put unprecedented pressure on the Russian economy."
"We note an unprecedented buildup of Russian troops near the borders of Ukraine. All factors for an offensive are in place, but it is impossible to speak of any timeframes," the French official said.
Meanwhile, a former French foreign minister, Michel Barnier, spoke out in favor of a dialogue with Russia.
"No questions are tabooed, including Ukraine’s refusal from joining NATO," he told BFM. "I think that a solution should be found through negotiations, including through a scenario when Ukraine obtains security guarantees without joining NATO."
The situation along the contact line in eastern Ukraine took a turn for the worse in the morning of February 17. The DPR and LPR reported some of the most intensive shelling by Kiev forces in recent months. The shelling damaged some civilian facilities.
On Friday, the leaders of the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics (LPR and DPR), Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin, announced the evacuation of the republics’ inhabitants to Russia, citing the increasing threat of hostilities. All-out mobilization was announced in the republics on Saturday.