Putin tells Macron West must stop supplying weapons to Ukraine

By: 3 years ago

Russia says Kyiv foiled evacuation from Mariupol

Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a speech at a meeting of Russian prosecutors in Moscow on April 25, 2022. AFP

惭翱厂颁翱奥鈥�Russian President Vladimir Putin told French counterpart Emmanuel Macron Tuesday the West must stop supplying weapons tao Ukraine and accused Kyiv of not taking talks to end the conflict seriously, the Kremlin said.

Accusing Ukrainian forces of committing war crimes and claiming the EU was 鈥渋gnoring鈥� them, Putin told Macron 鈥渢he West could help stop these atrocities by putting relevant pressure on the Kyiv authorities, as well as halting the supply of weapons to Ukraine鈥�.

Putin also said Kyiv was not being consistent or ready for 鈥渟erious work鈥� on ending the conflict.

鈥淭he Russian side is still open to dialogue,鈥� the Russian leader told Macron, according to the Kremlin readout.

Macron鈥檚 Elysee Palace office said that beyond reiterating calls on Russia to end the assault on its neighbour with a ceasefire and peace talks, he had urged Putin to allow evacuations from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in port city Mariupol to continue.

He also offered to 鈥渨ork with the relevant international organisations to help lift the Russian blockade on Ukrainian food exports via the Black Sea, given its consequences for global food security鈥�.

For his part, Putin linked the food situation to Western sanctions against Russia and 鈥渘oted the importance of the unimpeded functioning of the global logistics and transport infrastructure鈥�, the Kremlin said.

Macron is one of the few Western leaders to speak to Putin since Moscow moved troops into Ukraine on February 24, spending hours on telephone calls trying to negotiate a resolution to the conflict.

The conflict has killed thousands of people and displaced more than 13 million, creating the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

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