Scholz says talks with Duda, Macron aim to 'prevent war in Europe'

The leaders of Germany, France and Poland will discuss ways to de-escalate tensions over the Russian military build-up on the border of Ukraine in their talks late on Tuesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has threatened Russia with "far-reaching consequences" in the event of an invasion of Ukraine.
The impact on Russia would be "political, economic and certainly geostrategic," he said in remarks made before holding crisis talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish President Andrzej Duda in Berlin.

Germany, France and Poland are "united" in working to keep the peace in Europe in the face of the Ukraine crisis, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Tuesday at a meeting of the three countries' leaders.

"We are united by the goal of maintaining peace in Europe through diplomacy and clear messages and the shared will to act in unison," he said, adding that "Our common goal is to prevent a war in Europe."

Polish President Andrzej Duda, on the other hand, said that the the crisis in Ukraine is the most difficult situation NATO and the European Union have had to confront since the events of 1989.

"We have an unprecedented concentration of Russian troops along the Ukrainian border, we also have large groupings [of Russian soldiers] in Belarus, where military exercises are currently being held and are expected to last until February 20," he said on Tuesday evening.
"We are all wondering what will happen after that" he said, before heading into a meeting in Berlin with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron.
"The most important thing is unity and solidarity. We must show that we speak with one voice, that we are a community, that we cannot be broken - and I believe we must also show that we are not backing down."

French President Emmanuel Macron, for his part, called on Tuesday for "firm" dialogue with Russia to resolve the Ukraine crisis, in talks with his German and Polish counterparts in Berlin.

After two days of shuttle diplomacy in Moscow and Kyiv, Macron told reporters: "We must find ways and means together to engage in a firm dialogue with Russia," which he called the "only path to peace in Ukraine".