During an 80-minute phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West against supplying Ukraine with weapons, citing risks of “further destabilisation” and “aggravation of the humanitarian crisis.”
Putin stressed that he was referring to the crisis not only in Ukraine but across the globe, noting that the Ukraine war has impacted global food security. He remarked that the “real reason” for global shortages in food supplies is the “erroneous economic and financial policies of Western countries, as well as the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by them.”
Everything is wrong with Scholz & Macron calling Putin for 80 minutes.
— Anders Åslund (@anders_aslund) May 28, 2022
1. The 3 of them have excluded Ukraine from talks about Ukraine. Stop doing this! Scholz & Macron should demand that Zelensky is part of the conversation or no talk.https://t.co/B14whOngA7
In this regard, Putin declared, “Russia is ready to help find options for unhindered grain exports, including the export of Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea ports.” He added that increasing the supply of Russian fertilisers and agricultural products would reduce tensions in the global food market, but stipulated that this would require the removal of sanctions.
In turn, Macron and Scholz underlined the urgent need to remove the blockade on Odessa to export Ukrainian grain via the Black Sea to avert the global food security crisis. To this end, reminded Putin of his vow to grant vessels access to the port to export grain and his promise that it would not be used for military purposes.
In March, Russian forces captured crucial Ukrainian ports, cutting the country from the Black and Azov seas. Russia has been accused of weaponising food exports, given that both Russia and Ukraine are among the world’s largest wheat exporters, accounting for almost 30% of global wheat supplies.
Marko Mihkelson, Head of the Estonian Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee, has called Scholz and Macron “braindead” for making constant phone calls to Vladimir Putin.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) May 29, 2022
"It is incredible how France & Germany are inadvertently paving the way for new acts of violence by Russia.” pic.twitter.com/acIkVSm5M3
According to Kremlin’s press release, Putin also informed Macron and Scholz of the latest developments in Russia’s “special military operation” in Ukraine, highlighting Russian forces’ strict adherence to international humanitarian law and their efforts to establish “peaceful life in Mariupol and other liberated cities of Donbas.”
This, however, ignores insurmountable evidence of various war crimes by Russian soldiers, including the targeting of women and children.
In addition, Putin blamed Ukraine for the “frozen state” of negotiations, saying Russia remains ‘open’ to the “resumption of dialogue.”
We reiterated to the Russian President our urgent call for a ceasefire and for the release of some 2,500 defenders of Azovstal being held as prisoners of war.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 28, 2022
On this point, Macron and Scholz emphasised that “any solution to the war must be negotiated between Moscow and Kyiv, with due respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.” At the same time, they called for an immediate ceasefire and withdrawal of Russian troops. They also urged Putin to engage in ‘direct’ dialogue with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the earliest.
Furthermore, they demanded the release of at least 2,500 Ukrainian defenders of the Azovstal steel plant held as prisoners of war by the Russian forces. Earlier this month, Russia acknowledged the surrender of at least 2,000 Ukrainians after weeks of hiding out in the steel plant.