France's Macron Called Putin To "Demand Immediate Halt" To Russian Offensive
NDTV
At the EU summit, Macron and other leaders swiftly agreed a new, "severe" package of sanctions against Russia for its actions against Ukraine
French President Emmanuel Macron called Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin "to demand the immediate halt" to Moscow's offensive in Ukraine, the Elysee Palace 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.
