German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit the United States and meet with President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron will head to Moscow for talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend the foreign ministers' meeting of the Quad in Australia.
The diplomatic activities come amid escalated tensions between Ukraine and Russia.
Chancellor Scholz's first visit to U.S.
Scholz will pay his first visit to the U.S. since taking office as German chancellor in December. He will meet with Biden on Monday at the White House to discuss the Ukraine-Russia tensions, according to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki.
The two leaders will also discuss cooperation on tackling common challenges such as COVID-19, climate change, economy and security, Psaki said last week.
Scholz will travel to Kiev on February 14 and Moscow on February 15.
Macron to meet Putin
Macron is scheduled to visit Moscow and meet with Putin on Monday, aiming to capitalize on limited progress made during the four-way "Normandy format" peace talks on Ukraine in Paris last month.
The Kremlin has made clear the priority of the talks will be Moscow's demands for security guarantees from the West.
Meanwhile, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will visit Ukraine on Monday, according to Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko.
Quad in Australia
Blinken will travel to Australia, Fiji and Hawaii from Monday to Sunday (February 7-13), according to the U.S. State Department.
The top U.S. diplomat will be in Australia from Wednesday to Saturday for a foreign ministers' meeting of the Quad – the U.S., Japan, India and Australia. The diplomats will discuss a range of issues including maritime security and cooperation against COVID-19.
After a visit to Fiji, Blinken will head to Honolulu, Hawaii on Saturday to host a trilateral meeting with his counterparts from Japan and South Korea to "deepen our cooperation in addressing threats from the DPRK's nuclear and missile programs" and other current global "challenges," the State Department said in a statement on Friday.
Day by day
Monday: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz visits U.S.; French President Emmanuel Macron visits Russia; French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock visit Ukraine.
Tuesday: NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana speaks in Vilnius at a conference; Safer Internet Day.
Wednesday: U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken visits Australia for Quad foreign ministers' meeting (to February 12).
Thursday: Queen Elizabeth's grandson Prince William visits the United Arab Emirates, with his trip coming as the UAE marks its 50th year and coinciding with the UK National Day being held at Expo 2020 Dubai.
Friday: Vera Jourova, EU commissioner for values and transparency, speaks at Ireland's Institute of International and European Affairs think tank.
Saturday: Blinken hosts a trilateral meeting with his counterparts from Japan and South Korea in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Sunday: German presidential election.