EU Should Take Part In Preparation Of Response To Russia's Security Proposals - Macron

The European Union should be fully involved in working out of a response to the proposals on security guarantees put forward by Russia last month, French President Emmanuel Macron said

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th January, 2022) The European Union should be fully involved in working out of a response to the proposals on security guarantees put forward by Russia last month, French President Emmanuel Macron said.

Macron's comments followed his participation in a video conference held overnight Tuesday at the initiative of his US counterpart, Joe Biden to discuss tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine. Other leaders also participated in the conference including European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and Polish President Andrzej Duda.

"The President of the Republic told his partners the importance of the full participation of the European Union in the preparation of a response to Russian proposals of December last year," the Elysee Palace said in a statement.

In the past few months, the West and Ukraine have accused Russia of massing troops near the Ukrainian border in alleged preparation for invasion. Russia has dismissed these claims, maintaining that it has no such plans and pointing out NATO's increased military activity near Russian borders.

In December, Russia released draft proposals on security guarantees in Europe to the United States and NATO, which include halting the alliance's further expansion in Eastern Europe. On January 10, Russia and the US held a round of the strategic stability dialogue in Geneva, followed by the first NATO-Russia Council since 2019 in Brussels on January 12, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe talks in Vienna the next day. The proposals were on the agenda of all meetings.

Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken promised his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to give a written reply on the issue this week.