Putin accuses Ukraine of committing "war crimes", and Macron is concerned about the fate of Mariupol
Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine on Friday, during a telephone conversation with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, of committing "multiple war crimes", stressing that the Moscow-led forces are doing "every effort" to avoid civilian casualties.
The Kremlin said in a statement that during this call, "attention was drawn to the numerous war crimes that Ukrainian security forces and nationalists commit daily."
Kremlin official:
Macron is on the line waiting for Putin's call.
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Putin referred to "large-scale missile and artillery attacks on the Donbass towns" in the Russian-speaking east of Ukraine, which is partly controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
The Russian President stressed that "the Russian armed forces are doing everything possible to preserve the lives of civilians, especially by establishing humanitarian corridors to evacuate them safely."
For his part, the French President expressed his "grave concern" about the situation in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which is under bombardment, calling for "the lifting of the siege and the arrival of humanitarian aid," according to the Elysee.
During the phone call between the Russian and French presidents, which lasted one hour and ten minutes, Macron "again called for the immediate implementation of a ceasefire" in Ukraine, according to the French presidency.
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