Macron calls Putin to 'demand immediate halt' to invasion of Ukraine
Macron calls Putin to ‘demand immediate halt’ to military operations in Ukraine – as Kremlin says Russian president gave ‘exhaustive’ explanation for ordering invasion
- French President has emerged as the West’s point man in speaking with Putin
- The Elysee Palace said he noted during call that Russia ‘risked massive sanctions’
- Meanwhile, the Kremlin said leaders had ‘frank exchange of views’ about Ukraine
- It added call took place at Macron’s initiative, and they agreed to stay in contact
Emmanuel Macron has called Vladimir Putin to ‘demand an immediate halt’ to Russian military operations in Ukraine, the Elysee Palace said on Thursday.
The French President has emerged as the West’s point man in speaking with Putin, as part of diplomatic efforts to keep open a channel of dialogue.
As he attended at EU summit in Brussels, the Elysee said: ‘After having spoken with the Ukrainian president, and in coordination with him, the president (Macron) called Vladimir Putin to demand the immediate halt of Russian military operations, noting that Russia risked massive sanctions.’
The account by Macron’s aides contrasted with that given by the Kremlin, which said only that the two leaders had a ‘serious and frank exchange of views’ about Ukraine.
The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin gave an ‘exhaustive’ explanation to Macron of the reasons he ordered his forces into his pro-Western neighbour.
It added that the call took place at Macron’s initiative, and he and Putin agreed to stay in contact.
Emmanuel Macron (pictured in Brussels on Thursday) has emerged as the West’s point man in speaking with Putin, as part of diplomatic efforts to keep open a channel of dialogue
The account by Macron’s aides contrasted with that given by the Kremlin, which said only that the two leaders had a ‘serious and frank exchange of views’ about Ukraine. Pictured: Putin entering a hall on his way to a meeting with Russian businessmen on Thursday
Earlier on Thursday, the French president told his nation: ‘We will respond without weakness to this act of war’.
He added that the Russian attack on Ukraine marked a ‘turning point in the history of Europe and our country’ that would have ‘deep and lasting consequences for our lives’.
At the EU summit, Macron and other leaders swiftly agreed a new, ‘severe’ package of sanctions against Russia for its actions.
According to a summit declaration, ‘these sanctions cover the financial sector, the energy and transport sectors, dual-use goods as well as export and export financing’ of Russia, visas and adding more Russian individuals to the EU’s travel ban and asset freeze list.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has hit Russia with the ‘largest and most severe’ package of sanctions it has ever faced to punish ‘blood-stained aggressor’ Putin for invading Ukraine.
The Prime Minister extended punitive measures on Thursday to hit five further oligarchs, including the Russian President’s former son-in-law, and to target more than 100 businesses and individuals.
Mr Johnson said he was sanctioning ‘all the major manufacturers that support Putin’s war machine’, will ban Aeroflot from touching down planes in the UK and will freeze the assets of all major Russian banks, including immediately against VTB.
His second barrage of measures designed to ‘hobble the Russian economy’ and punish Moscow’s ally Belarus came as the Kremlin hit Ukraine with a wide-ranging attack, targeting cities and bases with air strikes.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson has hit Russia with the ‘largest and most severe’ package of sanctions it has ever faced to punish ‘blood-stained aggressor’ Putin for invading Ukraine
‘Putin will stand condemned in the eyes of the world and of history. He will never be able to cleanse the blood of Ukraine from his hands,’ the Prime Minister told the Commons.
‘Now we see him for what he is – a bloodstained aggressor who believes in imperial conquest.’
Mr Johnson said the measures are ‘the largest and most severe package of economic sanctions that Russia has ever seen’, but vowed to go further.
‘We will continue on a remorseless mission to squeeze Russia from the global economy piece by piece, day by day and week by week,’ he told MPs.
He detailed the measures after speaking to G7 leaders including US President Joe Biden to discuss how to tackle the war unfurling in Europe as they work to act in tandem.
They were seeking to pile pressure on Mr Putin after he launched the all-out attack in the early hours which the West feared had been coming for weeks.
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