Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on February 20 for a "regime of silence" and "intensifying" of peace efforts, as France's president conducted urgent telephone diplomacy with the Ukrainian and Russian leaders amid fears of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Zelenskiy also said Kyiv supports an "immediate" meeting of the so-called Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), which was formed to seek a diplomatic solution after the start of a seven-year conflict between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine in 2014.'
Western leaders say Russia, which has deployed tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine, including in neighboring Belarus, is now planning a full-fledged attack. Moscow says it has no incursion plans.
"We stand for intensifying the peace process," Zelenskiy tweeted. "We support the immediate convening of the TCG and the immediate introduction of a regime of silence."
Zelenskiy's message followed his second conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron in as many days.
Macron spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier by telephone in what the Elysee Palace called "the final possible and necessary efforts to avoid a major conflict in Ukraine."
No details were made public.
The Trilateral Contact Group comprises Ukraine, Russia, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
More bombardments were reported overnight on February 19-20 close to the so-called "line of contact" between the Ukrainian military and the Moscow-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
An OSCE monitoring mission reported a “dramatic increase” in cease-fire violations there on February 19.
Ukraine said that two of its soldiers had died in one attack, but Zelenskiy has vowed that Ukrainian troops will resist responding to provocations.
