Macron, Putin hold talks lasting 1 hour 45 minutes

GBNEWS24DESK//

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday held new telephone talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Elysee said.

The call, which a presidential official said lasted 1 hour 45 minutes and was at Macron’s request, was the fourth time they had spoken since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, AFP reports.

It came after a tense call on March 3 which the Elysee said had left Macron feeling “the worst is to come” in Ukraine with Putin intent on seizing “the whole” of the country.

The Elysée said Macron had urged Putin to end the Russian assault and ensure the security of Ukraine’s nuclear sites after shelling caused a fire on the site of the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant. Putin told Macron Russia did not seek to attack nuclear plants, the French readout says, BBC reports.

Putin also told Macron that Russia would achieve its aims through “negotiation or war”, the French presidency said.

Meanwhile the Kremlin readout says Putin blamed Ukrainians for the nuclear plant incident. He told Macron it had been a “provocation” staged by “Ukrainian radicals”. Ukraine has blamed shelling by Russian forces.

The Kremlin added that Russian and Ukrainian personnel were jointly guarding the site, and that the radiation levels were “normal”.

Putin also said Saturday’s attempts to evacuate civilians from the southern cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha had failed because “Ukrainian nationalists” refused to let people leave and used the temporary ceasefires only to reinforce and entrench themselves.

Ukraine said Russian shelling had continued during the ceasefires on both Saturday and Sunday. Earlier today the Red Cross said the two sides had failed to agree details of how the evacuations would work.