Macron says he spoke to Putin at Zelenskiy’s request

 

Macron says he spoke to Putin at Zelenskiy’s request

 

French president defends call on the day Russian leader launched invasion of Ukraine.

 

BY MAÏA DE LA BAUME AND PAULINE DE SAINT REMY

February 25, 2022 4:46 am

https://www.politico.eu/article/macron-putin-zelenskiy-ukraine-war-russia-call/

 

French President Emmanuel Macron said he spoke to Vladimir Putin on Thursday evening at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

 

Speaking at the end of an emergency summit of EU leaders in Brussels devoted to Russia’s war on Ukraine, Macron said the call with the Russian president had been “frank, direct and rapid.”

 

Macron said he made the call, on Zelenskiy’s behalf, to ask Putin to stop the fighting and talk to the Ukrainian president, who had not been able to contact the Russian leader. Putin has repeatedly refused to engage with Zelenskiy directly.

 

“It did not produce any results,” Macron said of the call. “The Russian president has chosen war.”

 

He added: “It is my responsibility to take such initiatives when they are requested by Ukraine … and then — even as we condemn and sanction and continue to decide to act — to leave this path open so that, whenever the conditions could be met, we can obtain a cessation of hostilities.”

 

The Kremlin said that Putin had given an “exhaustive” explanation to Macron of the reasons for Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

 

U.S. President Joe Biden said earlier in the day that he had no plans to talk to Putin.