Putin accuses Ukraine "war crime" In call with French President Macron

Putin said the Russian military was “doing everything possible to protect the lives of peaceful civilians.”

Moscow:

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused Kyiv of a “war crime” in a call with his French counterpart on Friday, saying Moscow was doing “everything possible” to avoid civilian casualties in Ukraine.

The Kremlin said of the call between Putin and Emmanuel Macron, “attention was drawn to the many war crimes committed daily by Ukrainian security forces.”

“Especially massive rocket and artillery attacks on the cities of Donbass,” the Kremlin said, referring to Ukraine’s Russian-speaking east, a part of which is controlled by pro-Moscow separatists.

The Kremlin said Putin told Macron that the Russian military was “doing everything possible to protect the lives of peaceful civilians, including organizing humanitarian corridors for their safe evacuation”.

The two leaders also discussed ongoing talks between Moscow and Kyiv, a “French initiative” to end the conflict in Ukraine.

Macron has played a major role in trying to defuse the crisis through a diplomatic push that has seen him speak with Putin in person or on the phone nearly a dozen times since the conflict began.

During the latest call, which lasted an hour and 10 minutes, Macron expressed his “extreme concern” over the fate of the southern coastal city of Mariupol, which has been hit by intense bombing in recent days.

Macron’s office said he urged the city to “remove the siege and humanitarian access” along with “concrete and verifiable measures” to ensure the safety of residents.

The Elysee Palace said the French president “again demanded immediate respect for the ceasefire” in Ukraine.

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