Macron and Scholz call on Putin to release about 2,500 captured Azovstal fighters

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to release about 2,500 captured Ukrainian fighters from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, the Élysée Palace reports.

The phone call between the three leaders lasted for 80 minutes, the German Bundestag stated.

Macron and Scholz told the Russian president that conflict resolution should be approved by Moscow and Kyiv taking into account Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. They called on Putin to put an end to the hostilities and to launch the negotiating process with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as soon as possible.

Macron and Scholz also stressed the importance of resuming export of Ukrainian grain from Odesa through the Black Sea to avoid a global food crisis.

For his part, the Russian president stated that the current global food supply problems are “caused by the erroneous economic and financial policy of Western countries, as well as the anti-Russian sanctions imposed by them.” Putin noted that tensions on the global food market “can be eased with increased supply of Russian fertiliser and agricultural produce, which, of course, will require the removal of the corresponding sanctions.”

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov added that Putin, Macron and Scholz had agreed to maintain contact over the phone.

According to the statement issued by the Kremlin, Putin noted that Russia is ready to resume dialogue with Ukraine.

“The President of Russia was critical of the continued dangerous practice of pumping Ukraine with Western weapons, cautioning against the risks of the country’s further destabilisation and aggravation of the humanitarian crisis,” the statement reads.

Earlier this week, in a phone call with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, Putin vowed to “make a significant contribution to overcoming the food crisis” if the West agrees to lift the “politically motivated” anti-Russian sanctions. The Russian leader specifically mentioned grain and fertiliser export.

A sharp drop in Ukrainian grain export has been recorded following the start of the Russian invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia had blocked 22 million tonnes of agricultural produce, cutting off practically all possibilities of export by sea.