Ukraine: what to remember from the telephone conversation between Macron, Scholz and Putin

Europe 1 with AFP 5:44 p.m., March 12, 2022

Vladimir Putin's accusations of "flagrant violations" of humanitarian law by Ukrainian forces are "lies", reacted the Elysée following a new exchange on Saturday between Russian President Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz, according to the Elysee.

This 75-minute discussion between the three men, the second in two days after that of Thursday, "focused" on the demand from Paris and Berlin for "an immediate ceasefire and the start of a diplomatic solution", specified separately the French presidency and the German chancellery.

The call on Moscow to lift the siege of Mariupol

Before this call, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz had each met with Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky, who asked them to intervene with President Putin to stop the fighting immediately as the Russian army tightens the noose on Kiev. and continues the bombardments on other cities.

Volodymyr Zelensky also asked them to help him to free the mayor of the Ukrainian city of Melitopol, kidnapped the day before by the Russians according to Kiev.

In the strategic port city of Mariupol, devastated by nearly two weeks of siege, "the situation is very difficult, humanly unsustainable", and the "only decision that President Putin must take is to lift the siege", a par elsewhere indicated the Elysée.

For Paris, the head of the Kremlin uttered "lies" when he mentioned, in the discussion, "flagrant violations" of human rights by the Ukrainian army which would use civilians as "human shields", according to Moscow.

Emmanuel Macron replied that "the abuses of the Russian army must stop" and that "violations" in "the worst way" could be, "within the meaning of international law and subject to the ongoing investigation", "

Paris will not release "maximum pressure"

At the end of this conversation, described as "very frank and difficult" in a "dramatic moment", Emmanuel Macron "is determined to use all the resources of diplomacy, namely the very demanding dialogue" with Vladimir Putin, but also the sanctions , "which are of a historical nature" with "a banishment" of Russia, according to the presidency.

"We are putting maximum pressure and we will not let go," said the French presidency.

Concerning the threat of a possible use of chemical weapons in Ukraine by Moscow, she underlined that Emmanuel Macron's demand was "very strong for the conflict to end as soon as possible in order to avoid the worst, including the recourse to illicit weapons or the destruction of cities".

Paris repeated that new sanctions would be examined "without taboo", as Emmanuel Macron declared on Friday when closing the European summit in Versailles, where the 27 agreed to double funding for weapons to Ukraine.

Since their meeting on February 7 in the Kremlin, Emmanuel Macron has had nine telephone conversations, including that of last Thursday, with Vladimir Poutine, according to the count of the Elysée.