President Vladimir Putin's proposal for direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, after Kyiv and its European allies called for a 30-day ceasefire, is ‘a first step, but not enough’ Macron was quoted as saying on Sunday.
"An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations, by definition," Macron told reporters as he stepped off a train in the Polish southeastern city of Przemyśl on his return from a trip to Ukraine.
“Putin is looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time", he added.
Western allies have repeatedly accused Putin of delaying tactics with regards to any potential bid to end the conflict in Ukraine, which has dragged on since February 2022.
Macron visited Kyiv on Saturday with the leaders of Poland, Germany and Britain with the four of them and President Volodymyr Zelensky calling for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire starting on Monday.
Macron warned that Russia would face "massive sanctions" if it did not comply.
The United States and other countries back the proposal, the leaders said.
Speaking at the Kremlin in the early hours of Sunday, Putin proposed direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul in the coming days but did not address the 30-day ceasefire proposal.
"It's a way of not answering... of showing that he is committed while also trying to maintain ambiguity in the eyes of the Americans," Macron said.
Macron also said that Putin's proposal was "unacceptable for the Ukrainians because they cannot accept parallel discussions while they continue to be bombed".
He also cast doubt on whether Zelensky would agree to talks in Istanbul given the "complicated" Russian-Ukrainian negotiations held there shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
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Source: AFP