President Macron flies to Moscow in hope to ease Russia-Ukraine tensions, but sources say Macron's aim is to buy time and freeze the situation for several months, until elections in France and elsewhere in Europe
Sources close to President Macron say one aim of his visit was to buy time and freeze the situation for several months, at least until a"Super April" of elections in Europe –– in Hungary, Slovenia and, crucially for Macron, in France.
Macron who is flying to Moscow on Monday has made a frenetic series of phone calls with Western allies, Putin and the Ukrainian leader over the past week. Two sources close to Macron said one aim of his visit was to buy time and freeze the situation for several months, at least until a "Super April" of elections in Europe –– in Hungary, Slovenia and, crucially for Macron, in France.
To counter critics ahead of the trip and take on the mantle of European leadership in this crisis, Macron has been at pains to consult with other Western leaders this time, including Britain's Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden.