Macron's tense, last-gasp Putin call on the eve of Ukraine invasion

PARIS • "Vladimir, firstly one thing!" says President Emmanuel Macron as he seeks to make a point to his Russian counterpart.

"Listen Emmanuel," interjects the Russian leader.

One of the final calls between the presidents of France and Russia, just four days before Mr Putin issued the order for Moscow to invade Ukraine, is filled with tension, occasional expressions of respect and moments of the bizarre.

With Europe's peace in question, it even ends with Mr Putin saying that he was supposed to be playing ice hockey and was conducting the conversation from a sports hall.

In a hugely unusual glimpse into a confidential telephone call between heads of state, Mr Macron and his team were filmed at the Elysee taking the call and the footage will now be broadcast as the centrepiece of a documentary, A President, Europe And The War, on the French President's handling of the Ukraine war to be broadcast on Thursday on France 2 TV.

The call took place on the morning of Feb 20 as the French leader made what turned out to be a fruitless attempt to stop Russia from going to war. He also proposed a summit with United States President Joe Biden that Russia would turn its back on. Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb 24.

Mr Macron has been praised by admirers for keeping open a channel to Mr Putin, with whom he sought to cultivate a relationship to the point of inviting the Kremlin chief to his summer residence in 2019.

But detractors fear the French leader's eagerness for dialogue was exploited by Russia and Kyiv has been troubled by his insistence that Russia should not be left humiliated when the war comes to an end.

"I would like you to first give me your reading of the situation and perhaps quite directly, as is our habit, tell me what your intentions are," Mr Macron asked Mr Putin bluntly at the start of the conversation.

"What can I say? You yourself see what is happening," retorted Mr Putin, accusing Ukraine of rupturing the Minsk accords that reduced the scale of a conflict that erupted in 2014.

He lambasted the pro-Western Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, falsely accusing Kyiv of seeking a nuclear weapon. "In fact our dear colleague Mr Zelensky is doing nothing" to apply the Minsk accords, Mr Putin alleged.

But despite the tension, Mr Macron also sought to play the role of mediator, saying he will urge Mr Zelensky to "calm down everyone" not just in the Ukrainian armed forces but also on social media.

"Do not give in to provocations of any kind in the hours and days to come," he told Mr Putin.

As they have always done in their conversations, both men use the informal form of "you" to address each other.

Mr Macron has always insisted the diplomacy was the right thing to do but also faced criticism for finally making a trip to Kyiv to back Mr Zelensky only last week and not before.

"We did not convince him and he invaded Ukraine," Mr Macron told the film makers. "I thought that we could find, through confidence and intellectual discussion, a path with Mr Putin," he added.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE