Volodymyr Zelensky has said Moscow’s hints that it will pull back its troops from some areas of Ukraine “do not drown out the ruptures of Russian shells”.
Ceasefire negotiations today ended with some promise of future progress. Kyiv proposed a new security guarantee that could lead to Ukraine accepting neutral status, in return for Russian troops’ withdrawal from the country.
The Ukrainian president said, in a new video speech, that Russia’s word cannot be trusted and that only a concrete conclusion to the ongoing peace talks can be relied on.
Meanwhile, France has called off an evacuation of civilians from the beseiged Ukrainian city of Mariupol after a phone call with Russia.
The office of Emmanuel Macron announced that the operation was not possible “at this stage” after hearing Vladimir Putin’s reaction, BFMTV news reported.
The one-hour-long call ended without a conclusion, the office said. Putin reportedly told Macron that he would think about the evacuation before giving any answer.
Last week, Macron said that France was ready to lead an “exceptional humanitarian operation” with Turkey and Greece to evacuate civilians.
