Macron says Putin agrees to work toward ceasefire after phone call

By AFP 20 February 2022, 6:20 pm

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Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via videoconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia, on Friday, February 11, 2022. (Alexei Nikolsky, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian leader Vladimir Putin agree to work toward a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine, Macron’s office says.

In a phone conversation lasting 105 minutes, they also agree on “the need to favor a diplomatic solution to the ongoing crisis and to do everything to achieve one,” the Elysee says, adding that French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov will meet tomorrow.

The French presidency says that Putin told Macron that he plans to withdraw troops from Belarus.

Macron’s office says that the French president will consult with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and US President Joe Biden “within hours.”

“Intense diplomatic work will take place in the coming days,” Macron’s office says, with several consultations to take place in the French capital.

Macron may also consult with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and “other close partners,” the French presidency said.