French President Emmanuel Macron has upped the ante against his US counterpart Joe Biden over his ‘Butcher remark against Russia’s Vladimir Putin amid Russia’s invasion on Ukraine. Issuing caution to other countries ahead of talks with Putin, Macron said that the West needs to be factual and do everything to make sure that the situation does not get out of control.
Speaking to a French daily, Macron said that the first thing on the agenda is to achieve a ceasefire and then ensure withdrawal of Russian troops by diplomatic means. “If we want to do that, we can’t escalate either in words or actions,” he added.
Talking about what can be expected from his talks with Putin, Macron said that he would call for setting up a humanitarian corridor for Mariupol.
Facing backlash for his comments against Putin, Joe Biden on Sunday clarified that he does not want a regime change in Russia. US secretary of state Antony Blinken further clarified that that Biden meant that Putin cannot be empowered to wage a war or engage in aggression against Ukraine or anyone else.
