Putin, Macron hold third call in week on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone conversation, the third one within seven days, to discuss the Ukrainian crisis and security guarantees.

The leaders continued their "substantive dialogue" on the situation regarding Ukraine and the establishment of long-term and legally binding security guarantees between Russia and the West, Xinhua news agency quoted the Kremlin as saying.

Putin noted the "provocative statements and actions of the Kiev leadership that run counter to the Minsk agreements" on the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.

Putin and Macron held phone calls on Jan. 28 and 31 to exchange views on the same issue as tensions between Russia and the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization have flared up over the past weeks.