President of the European Council Charles Michel and Russian President Vladimir Putin talked over the phone about the Ukraine war and the state of the negotiations.
According to an EU official, Michel urged Putin to communicate directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski and declare a ceasefire.
The EU official noted that Michel, in his phone call, made clear to Russia that the Ukraine war was unacceptable and explained to Putin in detail the costs of EU sanctions.
Michel also called for a ceasefire for the safe removal of civilians from besieged cities such as Mariupol on the occasion of Orthodox Easter on April 24. Michel had visited Ukraine on April 20.
Meeting with Putin
According to the Kremlin’s statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin told European Council President Charles Michel that he would meet directly with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenski only if the negotiations between the two countries yield concrete results.
Putin said that he signaled to Michel that Kiev is not ready to seek mutually acceptable solutions, accusing the Ukrainian side of being “inconsistent” in the negotiations.
Kyiv thinks that up to 100,000 civilians are trapped in besieged Mariupol and emphasizes that they should be evacuated.
Russia wants to seize Mariupol to build a bridge between the separatist-controlled territory in Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, and Donbas in the east of the country.