Russian President, Vladimir Putin has blamed Ukraine for not keeping to the cease-fire agreements to allow the evacuation of civilians.
The Russian President made the claim in phone conversation with French President, Emmanuel Macron on Sunday.
Macron called Putin and both leaders discussed the safety of Ukraine’s nuclear power plants on Sunday, according to a statement released by Russian government, CNN reports.
Details of their meeting were officially confirmed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Macron further asked about the idea of holding a trilateral (IAEA-Russia-Ukraine) meeting in the Chernobyl zone to ensure the safety of the nuclear facilities, and the Russian leader responded, “In principle, this idea could be useful, but it would be worth considering whether to hold such a meeting via videoconference or in a third country.”
The two leaders discussed the issue of evacuating the civilian population from areas of clashes and at this level the Russian leader told his France counterpart that Ukraine is not fulfilling “the agreements reached on such an acute humanitarian issue.”
“Ukrainian nationalists did not allow the evacuation from these cities. And the pause in hostilities was again used to build up forces and means in their positions,” Putin said.
