RUSSIAN president Vladimir Putin has told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron that Russia will successfully demilitarise Ukraine and render it neutral, which he said were his goals there.
According to a read-out of the telephone call, Putin said that any attempt by Ukraine to delay negotiations would only result in Russia adding to its list of demands.
Putin also told Macron that he disagreed with a speech the French leader gave yesterday, in which he held the Russian president responsible alone for starting the war.
The Elysee Palace says Putin claimed the Russian military operation was going “according to plan” and “at the pace he wants it to”.
Macron told Putin that he was “committing a serious mistake” and added that the Ukrainian government was not, as Russia claims, a Nazi regime – telling him his point of view did not reflect the reality, the Elysee says.
The French president said he was worried about the impact on civilians including from bombings around Kyiv – something Putin denied.
Macron told his counterpart that Russia would end up “as a very isolated, weak country” under sanctions, the Elysee added.
Macron also spoke to Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky – who said that his country would not surrender but remained open to dialogue.
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