The President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has agreed with his German counterpart, Olaf Scholz, and the French President, Emmanuel Macron, on the need to reactivate the peace talks, as reported by the Kremlin after the dialogue by video call that they have maintained. this Saturday about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Russian leader has also warned of the danger of “providing Ukraine with Western weapons” because “it destabilizes the situation”.
“Special attention has been paid to the state of the negotiation. Putin has confirmed that the Russian side is open to resuming dialogue,” according to the statement from the Kremlin press service, collected by Tass. In the same note, the Russian government again accuses Ukraine of “freezing” the talks.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz have urged the Russian president to negotiate a solution to the war together with kyiv, “with respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”.
Elysee sources have indicated that in the three-way telephone conversation, the leaders of Germany and France pressed to demand a ceasefire and for Putin to agree to negotiate directly with the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenski, “as soon as possible”.
According to the Kremlin, Putin has assured both European leaders that the Russian forces are dedicating themselves to “establishing peace” in the territories that Russia has conquered in eastern Ukraine, especially the city of Mariupol, where “the Forces Russian navies strictly observe the norms of International Humanitarian Law.”
The Russian president, however, has stressed the “dangerous nature” of the continued shipment of Western weapons to Ukraine. “Equipping Ukraine with Western weapons destabilizes the situation and would exacerbate the humanitarian crisis,” Putin said.
The Franco-German axis, for its part, has insisted on not cutting diplomatic bridges with Putin, asking Russia to release the 2,500 defenders of the Azovstal steel mill who have been taken prisoners of war by the Russians.
They also insisted on the urgency of lifting the blockade in Odessa to allow the export of Ukrainian cereals through the Black Sea and avoid a global food crisis.
On the other hand, the Russian president has declared himself ready to “find ways to guarantee the export of Ukrainian grain” to alleviate the needs of the countries that usually receive it in the form of food aid.
“Russia is ready to find ways for unhindered grain export from Ukraine,” he said.
The head of the Kremlin has also explained to the German and French leaders the “real reasons” for the difficulties with food supplies. In this sense, the Russian president assured that the current situation is due to “erroneous economic and financial policies” and the sanctions imposed by the West on Russia.
Putin also told Macron and Scholtz that increased supplies of Russian fertilizers and agricultural products would help ease tensions in the food market.
According to the Elysée, Putin has promised to agree to a ship access to the port for the export of cereals without these being militarily operated by Russia as long as they are demined beforehand.
Berlin and Paris have promised to maintain close contact on the risk of crisis and food security, a growing concern in the face of the blockade of exports from Ukraine, one of the main granaries of the world.
