French President Emmanuel Macron told Vladimir Putin that it was "
the Russian occupation the cause of the risks
" weighing on the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia "
and asked him to withdraw
heavy and light weapons", announced the Elysee.
To discover
OUR FILE - Elizabeth II, a rock and a symbol for England
Follow information on the war in Ukraine with the Figaro application
Emmanuel Macron "
will remain in contact
" with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky as well as the Director General of the IAEA Rafael Grossi "
and will speak to his Russian counterpart again
" in the coming days, "
so that an agreement can be reached guaranteeing the safety of the plant
“, added the French presidency in a press release.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: understand everything about the vast Ukrainian counter-offensive in the Kharkiv region
Previously, the Kremlin had indicated that Vladimir Putin had warned Emmanuel Macron, in a telephone call, against "
catastrophic consequences
" of "
regular Ukrainian attacks
" against this power plant, the largest in Europe occupied by Russian forces.
During this call, Emmanuel Macron also “
condemned the continuation of Russian military operations in Ukraine and recalled his demand that they cease as soon as possible, that negotiations begin and that sovereignty and territorial integrity be restored. of Ukraine
", according to the Elysée.
Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky had again exchanged by telephone on Saturday about the situation still "
very worrying
" around the power plant, had indicated the Elysée.
The French Head of State "
also made the necessary clarification with his Russian counterpart on world food security
", underlined the French presidency, adding that he had recalled "
that European sanctions do not apply neither to agricultural products nor to those essential to agriculture
".
“
He asked President Putin to ensure that the agreement reached by Russia with Ukraine and Turkey, under the supervision of the United Nations, is implemented in such a way that the grain exported goes well to those who most urgently need
it,” she said.
LIVE - War in Ukraine: Russia operates a major withdrawal in the East in the face of the Ukrainian counter-offensive
An agreement reached on July 22 in Istanbul has unblocked Ukrainian wheat and maize exports which were hitherto hampered by the Russian military offensive, sparking fears of a food crisis.
But Russia says its own food and fertilizer exports continue to suffer from Western sanctions targeting Moscow for its military intervention.
On Wednesday, the Russian leader said that Ukrainian exports went mainly to Europe and not to poor countries.
