Macron sobered after phone call with Putin: "The worst is still ahead of us"

After his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday afternoon, President Emmanuel Macron believes that "the worst is yet to come" in Ukraine. Putin expressed his "very great determination" to continue his offensive, the goal of which is to "take control" of the entire country, according to the Elysée Palace. "President Putin's remarks have not reassured us in any way," the palace added.

In an hour-and-a-half telephone conversation, the Russian president assured his French counterpart that the Russian army operation was developing "according to the plan envisaged by Moscow" and that it would "escalate" if the Ukrainians did not accept his conditions, the Elysée Palace spokesman said. "The president assumes that the worst is yet to come, considering what President Putin has told him," the Elysée Palace said.

As the AFP news agency reported, citing an officer, Macron also reportedly condemned the Russian president's "lies" in the conversation. Macron had assumed that Putin wanted to conquer "all" of Ukraine, the report added.