© Provided by Agencia EFE
Paris, March 18 (EFE) .- The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, today asked his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, “concrete and verifiable” measures on a lifting of the siege of Mariupol, in southeastern Ukraine, as well as a immediate ceasefire and allow access for humanitarian aid.
In a telephone conversation lasting one hour and ten minutes, according to the Elysee, Macron reiterated his “extreme concern” regarding the situation in that city, which has been under siege by Russian troops for almost three weeks and barely has basic food supplies. , medicines, drinking water, gas or electricity.
The French president spoke to him regarding the deterioration of the situation in Ukraine, the breach of humanitarian law in that country and the attacks with civilian victims, at a time when the negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations have not produced progress.
Meanwhile, the Russian president once once more blamed Ukraine for this war, which began on February 24 with a large-scale Russian military offensive.
According to the Kremlin, the conversation took place at the initiative of Macron, who yesterday, Thursday, had also spoken with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodímir Zelenski, to reiterate his country’s support mainly in humanitarian and defense matters.
The Ukrainian president will address the French deputies on the 23rd following having spoken virtually this week both in the Bundestag, the lower house of the German Parliament, and in the US Congress.
In response to the concerns expressed today by Macron, Putin, according to the Russian version, once more stressed that his Armed Forces are doing everything possible to save the lives of civilians, including organizing humanitarian corridors for their safe evacuation.
At the same time, he drew attention to the numerous “war crimes” that he believes are being committed on a daily basis by the Ukrainian security forces and nationalists, in particular the massive rocket and artillery attacks on cities in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas.
(c) EFE Agency
