Putin, Macron Agree To Work To Secure Ceasefire In Eastern Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed after a 105-minute call on Sunday (February 20) to work to secure a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine and to convene the highest-level emergency over Ukraine's future, the French presidential palace said in a statement. summit. The information, roughly confirmed by the Kremlin, suggests Russia may be willing to hold off on launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine to allow more room for diplomatic discussions. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet in the next few days to discuss a possible top-level summit between Russia, Ukraine and allies, the French presidency said. Putin blamed Ukrainian provocations for rising tensions in eastern Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Sunday, and asked NATO and the United States to take Moscow's demands for homeland security seriously, Euronews, AFP and the Associated Press reported on Sunday. . The French and Russian heads of state agreed on the need to re-establish a ceasefire, a spokesman for the French presidency said. "We do not believe that diplomatic resources have expired."