Prevent Wider Conflict In Eastern Ukraine, President Macron Calls Putin And Zelenskiy

Illustration of Russian military-backed militia on standby with machine guns. (Wikimedia Commons/Mstyslav Chernov)

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the need to step up the search for a diplomatic solution to the escalating crisis in eastern Ukraine in a phone call on Sunday, the Kremlin said in a statement.

"Given the urgency of the situation, the President recognized the need to intensify the search for a solution through diplomatic channels, through the foreign ministry and political advisers of the leaders of the Normandy format," the Kremlin said in a statement.

"These contacts should facilitate the restoration of the ceasefire regime and ensure progress in resolving the conflict in the Donbass," the Kremlin added.

In separate calls earlier on Sunday, President Macron and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy discussed possible ways to secure immediate de-escalation, a French presidential administration official told reporters after his talks with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy.

"The president of the republic is making his last efforts to prevent a major conflict in Ukraine. He is ready for new steps for stability and peace, and has not ruled out a new mission," the official said, according to TASS.

However, the likelihood of a "new spiral of violence" remains "high," he added.

According to the presidential administration, President Zelenskiy assured President Macron that he "will not respond to provocations in the contact channel in Donbass."

"Russia has amassed enough power to attack Ukraine if it wants to. A military campaign against Ukraine will take the war to the center of Europe," the official said.

To note, the situation along the contact lines in eastern Ukraine worsened on the morning of February 17th. The DPR and LPR reported some of the most intensive shootings by Kiev forces in recent months. The shooting damaged several 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 republic's population to Russia, citing the increasing threat of hostilities. All-out mobilization was announced in the republics on Saturday.