The White House said in a statement that Macron and Biden “affirmed their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The two presidents also reviewed the “continued coordination between them on the diplomatic fronts and their readiness to impose quick and harsh economic costs on Russia in the event of its invasion of Ukraine,” according to the statement.
“President Biden and President Macron have agreed that their teams will remain in close contact, including in consultation with NATO allies and European Union partners, on our coordinated and comprehensive approach to managing these issues,” he added.
The French president announced earlier on Wednesday that he does not rule out going to Moscow in an attempt to find a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis.
“I am very concerned about the situation on the ground,” Macron said in Tourcoing, northern France, on the sidelines of a meeting of European Union interior ministers.
He told reporters, “The priority for me regarding the Ukrainian issue and dialogue with Russia lies in containing the escalation and finding political ways out of the crisis, and this requires the ability to move forward on the basis of the Minsk agreements.”
He explained that the possibility of his visit to Russia and perhaps to Kiev remains subject to “the progress of our talks in the coming hours.”
“I do not rule out anything because I believe that France’s role, especially with the presidency (of the Council of the European Union), is to try to build this common solution,” Macron added, noting that he had consulted repeatedly in recent days with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
He reiterated that “there will be no security and stability system for Europe if the Europeans are not able to defend themselves” and “build a common solution with all their neighbors, including the Russians.”
German Chancellor to Moscow
In Berlin, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced, on Wednesday, that he will visit Moscow “soon” to discuss the Ukrainian crisis with the Russian President.
Western countries have intensified their warnings to Moscow, out of fear of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.
In this context, the United States announced, on Wednesday, the dispatch of three thousand additional American soldiers to Eastern Europe, in a decision condemned by Moscow.
According to the French presidency, Macron is “convinced” of the “need for a direct dialogue” with his Russian counterpart, because such a dialogue “allows progress to be made.”
The Elysee stressed that a dialogue between Macron and Putin is “an important matter for Ukraine, because Zelensky does not have this direct dialogue.”
The French presidency considered that Macron’s visit to Moscow, if it occurs, aims to “evaluate the threat and explore the situation so that we do not reach where we do not want to reach.”
In turn, a source in the French presidency pointed out the possibility of a phone conversation between the leaders of France, Germany and Poland, indicating that Macron may also visit Berlin by the end of the week, a possibility that the French president had talked about on Tuesday.
It is also possible to hold a four-way meeting at the level of diplomatic advisors to the “Normandy format” that brings together Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France, after a similar meeting hosted by Paris last week.