Russian President Vladimir Putin told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Saturday that reports of an invasion are "provocative speculation," as reported by AFP.
The two leaders spoke on the phone for about one hour and 40 minutes about the most recent tensions on the Ukrainian border and ways to de-escalate the situation. Though Macron told Putin that a "sincere dialogue" is incompatible with the escalation in Ukraine, he saw no indication that Russia is preparing for an invasion.
During the conversation, they also expressed their willingness to continue the dialogue on the progress in applying the Minsk Protocol. It was also decided to continue talks on security conditions and stability in Europe.
