France 'stepping up' work to prevent escalation of war in Ukraine: Macron

Ruling out any military involvement in the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday (local time) said that France has decided to "step up" work to prevent escalation of the war, according to a media report.

Macron's remarks came during a press conference after a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Summit and Group of Seven meeting at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.

"We have decided to step up the work to prevent escalation and organize ourselves in case it happens. We are acting on the need to continue adapting our posture to the new strategic circumstances caused by the war in Ukraine and its consequences," CNN quoted Macron as saying as he highlighted the participation of 3,200 French military personnel in NATO exercises.

However, ruling out any direct military participation, Macron reiterated that France will not be "co-belligerent" in the war.

"We continue to stand by the side of the Ukrainian people with military, economic and humanitarian support. Our determination has led us to adopt with unity an unprecedented series of sanctions," the media outlet quoted him as saying.

Further describing a unified response by NATO allies and the European Union (EU) to isolate Russia, Macron said, "Russia has taken a historic responsibility by starting this war. Our strategy is to do everything to stop any escalation and stop as quickly as possible this conflict through our support to Ukraine, our sanctions and the discussions that continue between a few of us and [Russian] President Putin to find the ways and means to a negotiated solution."

Russia began a special military operation in Ukraine on February 24 after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics requested help in defending themselves. What followed the military operation was a slew of sanctions imposed by the western countries targeting the Russian economy.