From SudOuest.fr with AFP
Published on 05/03/2022 at 12:01 p.m
Updated 5/3/2022 at 4:22 p.m
The French President and his Russian counterpart met on Tuesday. They last traded on March 29
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a telephone conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday that the West must halt arms sales to Ukraine. “The West could help stop these atrocities by exercising appropriate influence over the authorities in Kyiv and stopping arms supplies to Ukraine,” the Russian president said, according to a Kremlin statement.
Vladimir Putin accused the Ukrainian armed forces of committing war crimes and the European Union of “ignoring” them. The Russian President added that despite “the inconsistency and unpreparedness of Kiev for serious work, the Russian side is still open to dialogue” to find a way out of the conflict.
According to the Kremlin, in response to French concerns about global food security, Putin said that “the situation in this area is complicated mainly because of Western countries’ sanctions” against Russia.
Relations between France and Russia have been strained since Moscow’s military offensive in Ukraine began on February 24. Despite this crisis, Emmanuel Macron spoke to Vladimir Putin on several occasions before and after the conflict erupted in order to find a solution, without success.