Putin, Macron, and Scholz’s Phone Talks on Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin held phone talks Saturday, with his French counterpart President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, amid the recent events in Ukraine's military conflict. During the talks, the leaders addressed violations committed by the Ukrainian side and the pending agreements about Russia's concern over Ukraine.

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The Russian head of state informed his counterparts on the actual humanitarian situation in Ukraine in the region of Donbass, where the special military operation is being carried out. In a statement released by the Kremlin, it reads "in particular, [the Russian president] cited numerous facts of gross breaches of international humanitarian law by Ukrainian forces, namely extrajudicial executions of dissenters, hostage-taking, the use of civilians as human shields, the deployment of heavy weapons in residential areas - outside hospitals, schools, kindergartens and the like."

"Simultaneously, nationalist battalions systematically disrupt rescue operations and intimidate civilians who attempt to evacuate." According to the communiqué "Vladimir Putin urged Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz to exert influence on the Kiev authorities so that such criminal actions would be stopped."

President Putin detailed the series of talks held between Ukrainian and Russian sides in the pasts few days via video conference, referring to the unreached agreements on the accomplishment of Russia's demands concerning Ukraine. "In this regard, the three leaders considered some issues related to the agreements, which are being worked out, on implementing the known Russian demands. It was agreed to continue contacts on the Ukraine-related issues," the statement says.

Last February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a special military operation to Ukraine with the objective of demilitarization and denazification. The Kremlin demanded that Kiev have a non-aligned and non-nuclear status and recognize Crimea as part of Russia.

The Russian special military operation was launched responding to the request made by the heads of the self-proclaimed Lugansk and Donetsk People's Republic. Earlier, on February 21, Moscow announced that it recognized the independence and sovereignty of the LPR and DPR.