Germany, France call for immediate cease-fire in Ukraine

BERLIN

In a phone call with the Russian president, German and French leaders called for an immediate cease-fire in Ukraine, government sources said on Thursday.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron held a joint phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin ahead of today’s EU leaders summit at the Versailles palace, according to a German official, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Scholz and Macron, according to the official, underlined that a solution to the crisis can only be achieved through negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.

Earlier in the day, Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers held their first face-to-face meeting since the war stared on Feb. 24, but they could not achieve much progress for a comprehensive cease-fire. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu hosted the tripartite meeting on eve of the 3-day Antalya Diplomacy Forum starting tomorrow.

At least 516 civilians have been killed and 908 others injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to UN figures.

Over 2.3 million Ukrainians have also fled to neighboring countries, the UN refugee agency said.