Posted on 09/09/2019 3:45:07 AM PDT by NorseViking
Moscow (AFP) - France's foreign and defence ministers met their counterparts in Moscow on Monday as President Emmanuel Macron pushes for a detente in Europe's ties with Russia.
Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Defence Minister Florence Parly held the first meeting in the so-called "2+2" format suspended after Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014.
Ties between Russia and Europe have been deeply strained since 2014, when the European Union and United States imposed sanctions over the annexation of Crimea and Moscow's support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Macron has embarked on a bid to bring Russia in from the cold, hosting President Vladimir Putin for talks in southern France last month and renewing high-level diplomatic contacts.
The two men spoke by phone on Sunday, hailing an exchange of 70 prisoners between Russia and Ukraine as a step forward in peace efforts.
They said work was continuing for a summit of the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine in Paris later this month.
As the ministers began the four-way talks, Russia's top diplomat Sergei Lavrov welcomed France's efforts to rebuild relations, in particular remarks made by Macron that the time had come to "rethink our ties".
Le Drian said he and Parly were in Moscow to start a "frank discussion" in order to "move together towards a new architecture of confidence and security in Europe".
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
The EU is shoved so far up Russia’s behind, you’d need a scanning electron proctoscope to find it.
This meeting is about Brexit....Trump...
Likely both.
Either way, I gotta give it to the Russians, they gave up more of a fight for their naval base than we ever did when PI kicked us out of subic bay.
It was Macron who first suggested that Russia be readmitted to the G-7. Trump agreed and pretty soon, it was all about Trump wanting them in.....sweeping Macron under a rug.
The prisoner exchange was the first step in re-establishing a peaceful working relationship between Ukraine and Russia, but there is still much heavy lifting to do.
The upcoming summit in Paris will likely determine whether there is a path forward to reuniting the break away eastern regions with Kiev.
My guess is that no comprehensive agreement will be reached, but both sides will continue to ratchet down the military aggression.
Zelensky has accomplished more in a few months than Poroshenko did in four years.
The problem with ‘people’s republics’ is they don’t want back to Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine don’t want them too for different reason although both won’t ever admit it.
With Crimea, Donetsk and Lugansk gone Ukraine lost in terms of economy but much more stable politically. Elections are a good example. There is little to none fight over results anymore.
For Russia it is just too expansive to integrate another two depressive third world regions because it cost multiple bullion to rebuild it up to standard. People is another problem. Ukrainians are generally heavily leaning left and East Ukrainians included. And since the government is weak and corrupt there is little respect to law and order. All of the above means poor work and business ethics and a tendency to riot for handouts.
Pooty-Poot had a bad day in the Moscow elections:
Still the majority party.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-49632163
Russia’s ruling party hit badly in Moscow election
“With nearly all the results in, United Russia is predicted to get 26 seats in the city parliament (Mosgorduma).
The party’s brand has become so toxic lately that all its members ran as independents, the BBC’s Sarah Rainsford in Moscow reports.”
EU, Russia, Iran........ Triparte Axis
Well, propaganda works.
In Far East no one from Putin’s party was ever elected yesterday.
Let’s see how the opposition works especially since most of the winners are card carrying communists.
Sevastopol is their ONLY warm water port. practically their only all-year naval port. They couldn’t afford to give it up
The French are now hunting down countries that they can Surrender to ,LOL
Note to Ukriane: Forget about the EU supporting you against the attacks on you run from Moscow. As usual, France is always very good at the public relations pretense of sounding “noble” while it, always, most of all pursues its own self-interest.
Not really.
There are numerous warm water ports.
Vladivostok on the Pacific, Kaliningrad on Baltic, Novorossiysk on Black Sea, Makhachkala on Kaspy.
Even the Artic Ocean has a warm water port in Murmansk.
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