For the first time since late March, French President Emmanuel Macron called Russian President Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine. The conversation today lasted more than two hours, he said from Palácio do Eliseu. Paris gave no further details. The Kremlin said Putin informed Macron of the “liberation” of the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol by Russian troops and the successful evacuation of civilians from the besieged Azov-Steel plant.
This portrayal was overshadowed by reports in the Ukrainian media that Russian soldiers had launched a new attack on the Azov steel – although around 200 civilians are believed to still be trapped there. After more than 120 people were rescued from the factory premises last weekend, another evacuation attempt failed.
Regarding the phone call with Macron, the Kremlin also said that Putin complained that European countries were ignoring the Ukrainian bombing of cities in the Donbas. The West could have prevented civilian deaths by stopping weapons deliveries, he said. Moscow repeatedly accuses Kiev of attacks on civilians – despite the fact that Russia itself attacked Ukraine on February 24. Since then, Russian troops have been accused of committing serious war crimes in the Kiev suburb of Bucha and elsewhere.