Russian President Vladimir Putin today held a telephonic conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron during which conveyed that the West must stop supplying weapons to Ukraine, AFP reported.
The Russian President further accused Kyiv of not holding talks with Kremlin to end the conflict seriously, the Kremlin said.
Accusing Ukrainian forces of committing war crimes and claiming that the European Union was “ignoring” them, Putin told Macron “the West could help stop these atrocities by putting relevant pressure on the Kyiv authorities, as well as halting the supply of weapons to Ukraine.”
"The West could help put an end to these atrocities by exerting appropriate influence on the Kyiv authorities and by halting arms deliveries to Ukraine", RIA news agency cited the Kremlin as saying.
The President further said that Kyiv was not being consistent or ready for “serious work” on ending the conflict.
“The Russian side is still open to dialogue,” Putin said to Macron over the phone according to the Kremlin readout.
The Kremlin added that Putin also informed Macron about the course of Russia’s “special military operation.” It added that the two leaders also discussed global food security and Putin underlined that Western sanctions have exacerbated the situation, Reuters reported.
Macron, for his part, according to the Kremlin, said global food security was under threat due to the Ukraine conflict.
Putin linked the situation to Western sanctions against Russia and “noted the importance of the unimpeded functioning of the global logistics and transport infrastructure,” the Kremlin said.
Macron is one of the few Western leaders to speak to Putin since Moscow moved troops into Ukraine on February 24, spending hours on telephone calls trying to negotiate a resolution to the conflict.
The conflict has killed thousands of people and displaced more than 13 million, creating the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.
