Macron to call with Zelenskyy and other European counterparts on Monday

French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday that in the afternoon of 12 May he would speak with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European counterparts amid a demand for Russia to observe a 30-day ceasefire.

As reported by French newspaper Le Figaro, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Poland on Saturday demanded that Russia agree to an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting on 12 May. The EU and the US plan to ramp up sanctions against Russia if Putin rejects the ceasefire.

"This afternoon I will speak with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and my European counterparts. We have defined the framework. Everything is clear," Macron stated during a visit to the EssilorLuxottica plant, a French-Italian optical group in the Essonne department.

"Now everyone needs to act sensibly. Either Russia is serious and wants peace, or it is not serious, and we must impose additional sanctions," the French president added.

Kremlin ruler Vladimir Putin claimed that he is ready for "direct talks" with Kyiv in Istanbul on Thursday 15 May. However, he did not mention the proposal for a 30-day ceasefire.

On 12 May, the German government stated that if a ceasefire is not established in Ukraine by the end of the day, Berlin, together with its European partners, will begin the process of preparing new sanctions against Russia.

In response, the Kremlin said that it cannot be addressed in the language of ultimatums.