German, French and Polish leaders to discuss ways to de-escalate tensions over Russian military buildup on border with Ukraine. This was announced by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz during negotiations late in the evening on Tuesday, February 8.

“Our common goal is to prevent war in Europe,” Scholz said along with President Emmanuel Macron and Polish President Andrzej Duda ahead of talks at the German Chancellery.

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Berlin on Tuesday evening for talks with German and Polish leaders on the Ukraine crisis following a round of shuttle diplomacy between Moscow and Kiev.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who himself has just returned from talks with Biden, meets with Macron and Polish President Andrzej Duda to present a united front.

Macron held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev a day after a five-hour Kremlin meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin as the West tries to allay fears Moscow could invade its former Soviet neighbor.

The French leader said he now sees an "

“We cannot underestimate the moment of tension that we are experiencing,” Macron said at a joint press conference after meeting with Zelensky, France24 reports..

" “It will be a day, weeks and months that will allow us to progress”.

Emmanuel Macron said that the leaders of Russia and Ukraine pledged to comply with the Minsk agreements.

“Now we have the opportunity to move forward in the negotiations,” Macron told Zelensky after talks in Kiev.

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Zelensky said he expects to hold a summit with the leaders of Russia, France and Germany soon after meeting with French leader Emmanuel Macron in Kiev.

" we will be able to hold regular negotiations between the leaders of the Normandy Four,"

The Minsk package was signed in 2014 and 2015 by the leaders of Ukraine, Russia, France and Germany in response to the Russian annexation of Crimea..