French President Macron hints at further talks with Putin amid ongoing Ukraine war: Report

Amid the relentless war in Eastern Europe, which is showing no signs of subsiding anytime soon, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that he doesn't rule out the possibility of having further talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Speaking to France Inter Radio Network, Macron said that he will talk to Putin again but, that he will first talk to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "First and foremost, I will talk to President Zelenskyy for the sake of trying to gain humanitarian access to Mariupol, access to medicines and the departure of citizens. I think we must not give up on these and it's our duty to continue to talk to the Ukrainian President," the French President added. 

Macron also underlined that the positions from which he negotiated with Putin have always been "forthright, demanding, and transparent." "I have never been in the concession or the compromise, even from the beginning. He released some humanitarian gestures to us at the beginning, but in recent weeks - nothing," he added. Last week, the French President remarked that he is planning to hold another round of telephonic conversations with Putin and Zelenskyy in the coming days. 

Macron says he is making all efforts to stop war in Ukraine

President Macron also emphasised that he is doing everything possible to stop the war in Ukraine and restore peace. However, he disagreed with US President Joe Biden's assessment of the situation in Ukraine, which the latter described as "genocide." Macron stated that he wants to be "careful" with the words to characterise the Ukrainian conflict and refused to escalate the rhetoric. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy has asked his French counterpart to visit Ukraine to witness proof that Russian forces have committed "genocide."

Europe may face consequences of Russian gas embargo: Macron

Meanwhile, French President Macron has also warned that imposing a Russian gas embargo might have serious consequences for Europe next winter. "We will not see the consequences of this sanctions against Russian energy resources in the spring and summer of 2022 as gas storages have been replenished, but next winter, we will feel them if there is no more Russian gas," he remarked, Sputnik reported citing Ouest-France daily. It is pertinent to mention here that the European Union has pledged to completely phase out Russian fuel imports in the coming years. Earlier this month, the 27-member bloc announced its fifth package of sanctions on the Russian Federation. 

Image: AP