German, French, Polish leaders meet in Berlin to prevent war in Europe

The leaders of Germany, France and Poland urged Russia on Tuesday to back away from military threats and pursue a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis.

"Our common goal is to prevent a war in Europe," German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at a joint news conference in Berlin with French President Emmanuel Macron and Polish President Andrzej Duda.

"Any further violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity is unacceptable, and it would have massive political, economic and geostrategic consequences for Russia," he said, adding that it was the common position of Western nations.

Scholz underlined their commitment to dialogue and desire to find a peaceful resolution.

The talks came as Germany and France stepped up diplomatic efforts in recent days amid mounting fears of an imminent Russian attack on Ukraine.

The Chancellor visited Washington on Monday and Macron engaged in an intense two days of shuttle diplomacy between Moscow and Kyiv.

Macron told reporters that Europe would do anything to maintain peace and stability on the continent and would continue to defend European values and principles, including respect for territorial integrity and the sovereignty of all the states.

Recalling recent meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, Macron said Germany and France will continue dialogue with Moscow in the coming days as part of the Normandy format talks.