The French president expressed no regret for describing the Russian leader as an ‘ogre’, in comments that angered Moscow
The leaders of France and Germany on Friday vowed to step up pressure on Russia over its war against Ukraine, warning that President Vladimir Putin was showing little appetite to end Moscow’s 3½-year onslaught against its neighbour.
French President Emmanuel Macron said that Putin would have “played” US President Donald Trump if the Russian leader failed to fulfil a pledge to meet Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz added it looked like Putin was “unwilling” to hold such a meeting and said that the war looked like it would last “many more months”.
In Kyiv, Zelensky said the death toll from Russia’s barrage on Thursday against the Ukrainian capital had risen by two to 25.
