Emmanuel Macron says Vladimir Putin's end goal is to seize control of the entirety of Ukraine.
Emmanuel Macron has starkly warned that "the worst is yet to come" for Ukraine following talks with Vladimir Putin.
The French president made the comments on Thursday (3 March), following the latest phone conversation with his Russian counterpart.
Macron has been in regular conversation with both the Kremlin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Following his latest exchange with Putin, Macron stated that the "worst is yet to come" as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to roll on one week after it began.
According to Macron, Putin continues to display "great determination" in advancing his offence against Ukraine, noting that his end goal is to take complete control of the country.
As of Thursday afternoon, a second round of peace talks between Ukrainian and Russian officials are underway in the Brest region of Belarus.
Putin has previously mentioned that the conflict will not end unless Russia's "legitimate security concerns" are satisfactorily addressed.
Putin's reported list of demands includes:
– Recognition of Russia's sovereignty over Crimea.
– The demilitarisation and "de-nazification" of the Ukrainian state.
– Ensuring its neutral status.
As of Thursday, the conflict has entered its eighth day of combat, with one million Ukrainians fleeing the country as refugees.
An
assassination plot against President Zelensky has been foiled, according Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council chief Oleksiy Danilov.
A unit of elite Chechen special forces, known as Kadyrovites, were involved in the plan to assassinate Zelensky.
Zelensky has also said he has only
seen his family once since Russian military forces invaded the country.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, he said that his life currently consists of just "work and sleep" and that he cannot see his family.
Asked when the last time he saw them was, Zelensky responded:
"Before this war," but then corrected himself by adding:
"Not before this war, no, three days ago, in the middle of this war."
