On Saturday, 28 May 2022, the President of Russia, Volodymyr Putin, had a telephone conversation with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
The German federal government reported this information.
Scholz and Macron initiated the conversation that lasted 80 minutes.
"The Chancellor and the President of France called for an immediate truce and the withdrawal of russian troops. Furthermore, they asked Putin to negotiate with the President of Ukraine seriously and directly and find a diplomatic solution to the conflict," - reads the statement.
The German side also reports that Scholz and Macron talked with Putin about the tense situation in global food security. The russian leader allegedly promised to help unblock grain exports from Ukraine with the participation of the UN.
"President Putin has said he wants to allow grain exports from Ukraine, especially by sea. Chancellor, President Macron, and President Putin have agreed on the central role of the United Nations in reaching and implementing an agreement on this issue," - said the federal government.
According to the Kremlin's press service, one of the issues discussed was the cancelation of sanctions. Putin said that russia was ready to "resume dialogue" with Kyiv and once again expressed dissatisfaction with weapons supplies to Ukraine.
In a conversation with the Italian Prime Minister, Putin demanded the cancelation of sanctions for russia in exchange for grain exports.
Earlier, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Dmytro Kuleba, urged not to surrender to russia's blackmail about a "corridor" for the Ukrainian harvest across the Black Sea in exchange for canceling sanctions.