Coalition of the willing: Macron announces call with Zelenskyy and other European leaders

Khrystyna Bondarieva , Alona Mazurenko - 12 May, 16:53

Emmanuel Macron. Photo: Getty Images

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he will speak with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders on the afternoon of 12 May amid a demand for Russia to observe a 30-day ceasefire.

Source: French newspaper Le Figaro, as reported by European Pravda

Details: On Saturday 10 May, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Poland urged Russia to agree to a 30-day ceasefire starting on 12 May. The EU and the US plan to ramp up sanctions against Russia if Putin rejects the ceasefire.

"I will speak with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and my European counterparts this afternoon. We have defined the framework. Everything is clear," Macron said during a visit to EssilorLuxottica, a French-Italian optical plant in the northern French department of Essonne.

"Now everyone needs to act sensibly. Either Russia is serious and wants peace, or it is not serious and we must impose additional sanctions," the French president added.

Background:

Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin claimed that he is ready for "direct talks" with Kyiv in Istanbul on Thursday 15 May, but made no mention of the proposed 30-day ceasefire.
On 12 May, the German government stated that if a ceasefire is not established in Ukraine by the end of the day, Berlin, together with its European partners, will begin the process of preparing new sanctions against Russia.
In response, the Kremlin said that it cannot be spoken to in the language of ultimatums.

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