Russian President, Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron have spoken on phone for the second time since the French leader visited Moscow in a futile attempt to persuade his Kremlin to shelve the plans to invade its neighbour, Ukraine.
Details of the call which lasted just under two hours according to Elysee Palace officials, is yet to be obtained.
Both leaders spoke on phone on Thursday, with Macron getting the impression that Putin’s goal remains to occupy the whole of Ukraine
Macron’s move to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine appears not to be yielding much results going by the increased Russian military onslaught on major Ukrainian cities and towns.
READ ALSO: Nigeria to evacuate trapped students in Sumy, Ukraine – Ambassador
The President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has also called Putin, and appealed for an urgent cessation of hostilities.
Putin is reported to have told his Turkish counterpart that Ukraine’s negotiators should take, what he tagged, a more “constructive approach” at talks, and that the Ukrainian side must fully take into account the emerging realities” in veiled reference to Russia’s belief that it is winning the war.
The conditions Russia says will make it stop the onslaught include Ukraine ending military operations, and acceding to Russia’s demands,
Note: Additional Information from the BBC
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
