Emmanuel Macron, the French president, has claimed that his negotiations with Russia are likely to avoid a military conflict, ahead of his visit to Moscow this week, reports The Telegraph.
Mr Macron issued the bold claim, which puts his credibility as a negotiator on the line, during an interview with a French newspaper in which he also played down concerns that Vladimir Putin aims to invade Ukraine.
The interview came just a day after US intelligence suggested Moscow is stepping up moves towards a potential full-scale invasion, and has in place 70 percent of the forces it would need for such an attack.
US officials estimated a major attack could take Kyiv in two days, and leave 25,000 to 50,000 civilians dead, along with 5,000 to 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers and 3,000 to 10,000 Russian troops.
The French president told the Journal de Dimanche. “The intensity of the dialogue we have had with Russia and this visit to Moscow are likely to prevent [a military operation] from happening. Then we will discuss the terms of de-escalation,”
“I have always been in a deep dialogue with President Putin and our responsibility is to build historic solutions."