Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Macron, Putin resume phone contact but remain far apart on Ukraine war

Macron, Putin resume phone contact but remain far apart on Ukraine war

French president urges end to ‘devastating aggression’ but Russian leader shows no sign of changing course.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Vladimir Putin on Tuesday for the first time in a month but the two leaders seemed as far apart as ever on Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Macron spoke frequently with Putin in the build-up to the invasion and in the weeks that followed. But the French leader had not talked to the Russian president since evidence emerged of mass killings of civilians by Russian forces in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, widely condemned as war crimes.

Macron re-established telephone contact with Putin following a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday, the Elysée palace said in a statement on the conversation with the Russian leader.

The two sides issued vastly different readouts of the call, which the Elysée said lasted for two hours and 10 minutes. It was the 20th phone call Macron had held with Putin since last December but the first since March 29, according to the French president’s office.

In contrast to the widespread evidence of war crimes by Russian soldiers — such as the Bucha killings and the bombardment of the city of Mariupol — Putin claimed the EU was ignoring war crimes by Ukrainian forces, according to the Kremlin’s version of Tuesday’s call.

The Kremlin readout claimed Ukrainian forces were responsible for “massive shelling of cities and towns of Donbas, as a result of which civilians die,” without citing any specific location or incident. It said this could be stopped if the West put pressure on Kyiv and stopped supplying weapons to Ukrainian forces.

Macron, for his part, appealed for a cease-fire and “called on Russia to live up to its responsibilities as a permanent member of the [United Nations] Security Council by putting an end to this devastating aggression,” the Elysée said.

Macron’s office said he expressed “deep concerns concerning Mariupol and the situation in Donbas, and called on Russia to allow to continue the evacuation of the Azovstal plant which started in the past days.”

Hundreds of civilians and soldiers are reported to be still trapped inside Mariupol’s Azovstal steelworks, which has been besieged by Russian forces.

Putin said Russia was evacuating civilians “in accordance with the agreement reached at a meeting between Vladimir Putin and UN Secretary-General António Guterres on April 26,” according to the Kremlin.

The French president said he remained open “to work to find a negotiated solution” to establish peace. Putin said he was “still open to dialogue” but criticized Ukrainian negotiators, accusing them of being inconsistent and unprepared for serious work.

The two leaders also discussed disruptions to food supply chains. While Macron said he wanted “to work with relevant international organizations to help lift Russia’s blockage of Ukrainian food exports through the Black Sea, given its impact on global food security,” Putin argued that Western sanctions were the main reason for those disruptions.

According to the Kremlin, the two leaders agreed to stay in touch. However, the Elysée readout made no reference to any possible future calls — something that used to be a feature of such statements from the French president’s office.
#ANT 
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Druzhba Pipeline Incident Sparks Geopolitical Tensions
Cost of Opposition Leader Péter Magyar's Economic Plan Revealed
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Budapest Central European Fashion Week Kicks Off
U.S. Celebrates Labor Day
Hungarian National Team Captain Scores Epic Goal
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Japanese Customer Sways from VW to BYD after “Unbelievable” Test Drive amid Dealership Expansion
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
White House Eyes Budapest for Peace Talks
Cave Diving Beneath the Streets of Budapest
Another American Restaurant Chain Opens in Budapest
Hungarian Opposition Politician Supports Ukrainian Commander
Opposition Leader Threatens Media Outlets
American Airlines Adds New Flights to Budapest
F1 Hungarian Grand Prix Wraps Up
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
U.S. Trade Representative says Washington still negotiating trade deals after court rules tariffs illegal
Von der Leyen says Europe drawing up 'precise' plans to send troops to Ukraine
Kremlin accuses Europe of hindering Trump’s peace efforts in Ukraine
×