"Worst is yet to come": Macron after phone call with Putin

Paris, Mar 4: After a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday failed to yield a diplomatic breakthrough, his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron believes the “worst is yet to come” in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

 

 

 

Taking to Twitter after the nearly 90-minute-long conversation, Macron wrote that he had once again asked Putin to halt his onslaught on Ukraine but “at this point, he refuses”. However, dialogue with Moscow must continue to prevent “more human tragedy”, he added.

 

 

 

“We must prevent the worst from happening,” Macron said in his post. In light of the talks between the two leaders, the French government is weighing whether to impose more stringent sanctions on Russia to pressure it into pulling back troops from Ukraine, where the war has entered its ninth day. “Today we have clearly established that the seriousness of what is at stake requires us to strengthen sanctions and to accept the price of sanctions. We cannot let president Putin believe that he will get Ukraine at a lesser cost," the Élysée Palace, the French president's residence, said.

 

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On the other hand, the statement from the Kremlin said Putin reportedly told Macron that the goals of Russia's operation in Ukraine -- its demilitarization and neutral status -- will be achieved in any case. Putin said that any attempts by Kyiv to delay negotiations would result in Moscow adding more items to its list of demands. In a televised address on Thursday, Macron warned of ‘difficult days ahead’ as a belligerent Russia refused to scale down its assault on Ukraine. “Several men and women have been killed in the war. The coming days will most probably be increasingly tougher,” said Macron, while asserting that France stands by the side of Ukraine. The French premiere also noted that the repercussions of the war in Ukraine will be felt in France, with prices of fuel and everyday items going up and economic growth taking a hit.