French President Emmanuel Macron called on the international community on Wednesday to “put maximum pressure” on Vladimir Putin, after the Russian President said he was ready to use “all means” in his arsenal against the West.
Speaking on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, Macron said he deeply regretted Putin's decision to drag his country, in particular the youth, into war by announcing the mobilisation of reservists.
The world needed to "put maximum pressure on President Putin so that he stops this war which no longer makes any sense," he said.
Putin's choices are "contrary to the sense of history," to the interests of Russia and obviously of the international community and "will increase the further isolation of his country," Macron said.
The French President welcomed statements by China and India calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine. This meant Russia was increasingly isolated and is engaging in a war that only it wants, one which is "illegal and illegitimate," he said
No one today understands the choices that are being made by Russia, Macron noted after chairing a meeting with leaders from Africa and the Middle East, and heads of international organisations on the food crisis caused by the war.
