Europe 1 with AFP 10:45 p.m., March 22, 2022
French President Emmanuel Macron again spoke for an hour on Tuesday with Vladimir Putin, the Elysée announced, without an agreement for the ceasefire demanded by the French president.
French President Emmanuel Macron again spoke for an hour on Tuesday with Vladimir Putin, the Elysée announced, without an agreement for the ceasefire demanded by the French president.
No other way out than a ceasefire
For his eighth phone call with the Russian leader since the start of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, "there is currently no agreement but President Macron remains convinced of the need to continue its efforts", explains the French presidency.
"There is no other way out than a ceasefire and Russia's good faith negotiations with Ukraine. The President of the Republic stands by Ukraine's side," he added. 'Elysium.
The Kremlin was content to indicate that this meeting had taken place "on the initiative of the French side" and had focused on "the situation in Ukraine, including the negotiations in progress" between Russian and Ukrainian representatives.
During their previous meeting, on March 18, the French president had expressed his "extreme concern" about the situation in Mariupol, bombarded by the Russian army, and called for "the lifting of the siege".
Zelensky calls for direct negotiations with Putin
This Tuesday, in a video before the European Humanitarian Forum in Brussels, Emmanuel Macron also denounced the use by Russia "of explosive weapons in densely populated areas", considering that "everything, in the aggression of the Ukraine by Russia, is unacceptable".
The French president also called his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky again on Tuesday, whom he has called very regularly since February 24 to assure him of his support.
The Ukrainian president, who is calling on Vladimir Putin for direct negotiations, must intervene by video on Wednesday at 3 p.m. before French deputies and senators to ask for their support, after having done the same in recent days before Italian, American, Canadian, British, Germans and Israelis.
He also called on the EU on Monday to stop all trade with Russia.