TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Macron says useful to 'leave path open' for dialogue with Putin
Macron said after a summit of EU leaders that "while condemning, while sanctioning" it remained useful "to leave this path open so that the day when the conditions can be fulfilled, we can obtain a cessation of hostilities".
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
French President Emmanuel Macron gestures during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President following their meeting in Kyiv on February 8, 2022. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said on February 8, 2022, he expected to hold a summit soon with the leaders of Russia, France and Germany, after meeting French leader Emmanuel Macron in Kyiv. (AFP/Sergei Supinsky)
F
rench President Emmanuel Macron said Friday it was useful to keep alive the chance of dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin after he launched an invasion of Ukraine.
Macron said after a summit of EU leaders that "while condemning, while sanctioning" it remained useful "to leave this path open so that the day when the conditions can be fulfilled, we can obtain a cessation of hostilities".
Macron on Thursday was the only Western leader to speak to Putin after he unleashed the Russian military on his pro-Western neighbour.
The Kremlin said Putin held a "frank" conversation with the French leader.
The Elysee Palace said Macron called Putin to demand an end to Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.
"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 Elysee said.
Macron called Putin "to demand the immediate halt" to Moscow's offensive in Ukraine, the Elysee said on Thursday.
"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 Elysee said as Macron attended an EU summit in Brussels.
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.
Macron has emerged as the West's pointman in speaking with Putin, keeping open a channel of dialogue in the hope of bringing diplomacy to bear.
Earlier 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, as well visas and adding more Russian individuals to the EU's travel ban and asset freeze list.
