Macron says Putin gave him an 'assurance' that there will be no 'escalation' on Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron said Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin gave him a guarantee that Russia would not make any aggressive moves against Ukraine, BBC reports.
"I secured an assurance there would be no deterioration or escalation," Macron said before meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv.
Macron spent almost six hours speaking with Putin in Moscow on Monday.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
According to The Guardian, however, Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov quickly told reporters that no such assurance had been given.
"This is wrong in its essence. Moscow and Paris couldn't do any deals. It's simply impossible," Peskov said.
Per BBC, a French official also told reporters the two presidents "had agreed that Russia would pull troops out of Belarus at the end of exercises taking place near Ukraine's northern borders," a claim Peskov also denied.
In comments he made immediately after his meeting with Putin, Macron did not mention any guarantee from Putin.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
"Right now, the tension is increasing, and the risk of destabilization is increasing," Macron said at the time. Macron also said he plans to call Putin after his meeting with Zelensky to brief him on what was discussed.
Putin said it would be possible for Russia to consider "a number" of Macron's "proposals and ideas ... in order to lay a foundation for our further steps."
Putin also argued that if Ukraine is allowed to join NATO, the alliance would be obligated under the terms of the treaty to re-conquer Crimea, which Russia annexed in in 2014. "Do you want France to go to war with Russia? That's what will happen!" he told a French reporter, according to The New York Times.
Russia has massed approximately 130,000 troops on Ukraine's border and is demanding that NATO roll back troop deployments in Eastern Europe and bar Ukraine from membership in the alliance.
U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday that Russia could invade Ukraine "any day now."
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
Inside The Peninsula, London’s first billion-pound hotelThe Week Recommends As the capital’s super-luxury hotel scene continues to expand, the respected brand is still setting the standard
-
AI is making houses more expensiveUnder the radar Homebuying is also made trickier by AI-generated internet listings
-
Crossword: October 22, 2025The Week's daily crossword
-
Bolivia elects centrist over far-right presidential rivalSpeed Read Relative political unknown Rodrigo Paz, a centrist senator, was elected president
-
Madagascar president in hiding, refuses to resignSpeed Read Andry Rajoelina fled the country amid Gen Z protests and unrest
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Can Gaza momentum help end the war in Ukraine?Today's Big Question Zelenskyy’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles hints at ‘warming relations’ between Ukraine and US
-
Remaking the military: Pete Hegseth’s war on diversity and ‘fat generals’Talking Point The US Secretary of War addressed military members on ‘warrior ethos’
-
Israel, Hamas agree to first step of Trump peace planSpeed Read Israel’s military pulls back in Gaza amid prisoner exchange
-
Israel intercepts 2nd Gaza aid flotilla in a weekSpeed Read The Israeli military intercepted a flotilla of nine boats with 145 activists aboard along with medical and food aid
-
Japan poised to get first woman prime ministerSpeed Read The ruling Liberal Democratic Party elected former Economic Security Minister Sanae Takaichi
