INTERNATIONAL: The leaders of Germany, France and Poland have discussed ways to de-escalate tensions over the Russian military build-up on the border of Ukraine in their talks late on Tuesday (February 8), German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said.

The common goal is to prevent a war in Europe, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said alongside President Emmanuel Macron and Polish President Andrzej Duda ahead of talks in the Weimar Triangle format in the German chancellery.

The amassing of Russian troops on the Ukraine border is of great concern and Europe’s appraisal of the situation is united, and their position on this: any further attack on the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine is unacceptable and will draw wide-reaching consequences onto Russia: politically, economically and geo-strategically, Chancellor Scholz has further said.

Western countries led by the United States fear Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine. Moscow says it is planning no invasion but could take unspecified "military-technical measures" unless a number of security demands are met, including a promise from NATO never to admit Kyiv.

The United States and European Union have threatened Russia with sanctions if it attacks Ukraine. Moscow, still Europe's biggest energy supplier despite already being under sanctions since seizing Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014, has largely dismissed new sanctions as an empty threat.

Polish President Andrzej has said this was the most difficult situation Europe was facing since 1989, a milestone in a year of momentous change in Europe, leading in a few short months to the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989 and the fall of the Iron curtain dividing eastern and western Europe.

Poland President Andrzej Duda has said , they have to find a solution, and they need to find such a solution that makes sure war is avoided. It is there most important objective at the moment. The president believes they can achieve this, and he thinks that the most important thing at the moment is that they have to work in unity and solidarity. They have to show that they speak with one voice, that they are in this together and that they cannot be broken. And he also thinks that they must also show that they will not back down.

On Monday ,February 6, U.S. President Joe Biden has said after meeting Scholz that the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, was designed to double the amount of gas flowing from Russia straight to Germany, would be halted if Russia invades Ukraine. Scholz has said the pair had the same approach to Ukraine, to Russia and to sanctions, but did not directly confirm the Nord Stream 2 plans.

^{PHOTO: GERMAN CHANCELLOR OLAF SCHOLZ, FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON AND POLAND'S PRESIDENT ANDRZEJ DUDA SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE AHEAD OF WEIMAR TRIANGLE MEETING IN BERLIN}