PARIS, March 7 (NNN-AGENCIES) — 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 Feb 24.
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.
This comes three days after Putin told the French leader Thursday that Russia would achieve the goals of its military intervention in Ukraine whatever happens, the Kremlin said.
In a statement issued after the French and Russian presidents spoke by phone, the Kremlin made clear its goals included the demilitarisation and neutrality of Ukraine.
Any attempts by Kyiv to delay negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian officials would result in Moscow adding more items to a list of demands it has already set out, it said.
“Vladimir Putin outlined in detail the fundamental approaches and conditions in the context of negotiations with representatives of Kyiv. It was confirmed that, first of all, we are talking about the demilitarisation and neutral status of Ukraine, so that a threat to the Russian Federation will never emanate from its territory,” the statement said.
“It was emphasised that the tasks of the special military operation will be fulfilled in any event, and attempts to gain time by dragging out negotiations will only lead to additional demands on Kiev in our negotiating position.”
Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation” that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its southern neighbour’s military capabilities and capture what it regards as dangerous nationalists.
Separately, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan appealed for an urgent general ceasefire in Ukraine when he spoke on Sunday to Russian leader Vladimir Putin by telephone, Erdogan’s office said.
The two heads of state spoke ahead of a diplomatic forum in Turkey on March 11-13 that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Ukrainian counterpart are due to attend.
Turkey hopes to organise a meeting between the two.
“An urgent general ceasefire would make it easier to find a political solution and respond to humanitarian concerns,” Erdogan said.
He urged Putin to allow the creation of “urgent” humanitarian corridors in Ukraine, saying he and the Russian leader could “open the way of peace together”.
He told Putin that Ankara was “prepared to contribute in all possible ways towards a peaceful resolution (of the crisis)”.
Official Turkish media said the conversation lasted an hour.
Turkey is conducting a delicate balancing act.
On the one hand, it is a member of NATO and an ally of Ukraine. On the other, it needs to maintain good relations with Russia, on which it depends heavily for imports.
Erdogan has offered on several occasions to host talks between Kyiv and Moscow. — NNN-AGENCIES
