Official website of the President of Russia

Документ   /

Vladimir Putin congratulated Emmanuel Macron on his recent victory in the presidential election and re-election as head of state.

The two presidents continued their exchange of opinions on the situation in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin informed his French counterpart about the progress of the special military operation to protect the Donbass republics, including the liberation of Mariupol and the evacuation of the civilians retained by nationalists at the Azovstal plant, with the evacuation proceeding as agreed during the April 26 meeting between Vladimir Putin and UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

During the conversation, it was noted that the EU member countries ignore the crimes committed by the Ukrainian forces, and massive shelling of cities and communities in the Donbass region resulting in civilian casualties. The West could help stop these atrocities by influencing the Kiev government, as well as stopping arms deliveries to Ukraine, Vladimir Putin pointed out.

He went on to articulate the principled approaches to the negotiations with Ukraine’s representatives by emphasising that Russia remains open to dialogue despite all the inconsistencies in Kiev’s position and its unwillingness to take this process seriously.

Emmanuel Macron noted the issue of ensuring global food security as an emerging concern. In this context, Vladimir Putin confirmed that the sanctions imposed by the Western countries have been complicating this issue and noted the importance of ensuring the unimpeded operation of the logistics and transport infrastructure.

The two presidents agreed to maintain contacts at various levels.