In a phone discussion with his French colleague Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the situation in Ukraine and asked the West to exert pressure on Kyiv to stop “atrocities,” according to Russian news agencies.
Putin reminded Macron that the West might assist in ending “war crimes (and) enormous shelling of cities and communities in Donbas,” which has resulted in civilian deaths.
Russia disputes allegations of war crimes committed by its own soldiers in Ukraine, blaming civilian casualties on “nationalists” and “neo-Nazis,” a charge disputed by Kyiv and the West.
“The West could assist put an end to these atrocities by exerting adequate pressure on Kyiv authorities and by halting arms supply to Ukraine,” the Kremlin said, according to the RIA news agency.
Putin also assured his French counterpart that Moscow remained open to talks with Ukraine.
