INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Russian President Vladimir Putin told French counterpart Emmanuel Macron Tuesday the West must stop supplying weapons to Ukraine and accused
Kyiv of not taking talks to end the conflict seriously, the Kremlin said.Accusing Ukrainian forces of committing war crimes and claiming the
EU was "ignoring" them, Putin told Macron "the West could help stop these atrocities by putting relevant pressure on the Kyiv authorities,
as well as halting the supply of weapons to Ukraine."Putin also said Kyiv was not being consistent or ready for "serious work" on ending the
conflict."The Russian side is still open to dialogue," the Russian leader told Macron, according to the Kremlin readout.Macron's Elysee
Palace office said that beyond reiterating calls on Russia to end the assault on its neighbor with a ceasefire and peace talks, he had urged
Putin to allow evacuations from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in port city Mariupol to continue.He also offered to "work with the
relevant international organizations to help lift the Russian blockade on Ukrainian food exports via the Black Sea, given its consequences
for global food security."For his part, Putin linked the food situation to Western sanctions against Russia and "noted the importance of the
unimpeded functioning of the global logistics and transport infrastructure," the Kremlin said.Macron is one of the few Western leaders to
speak to Putin since Moscow moved troops into Ukraine on February 24, spending hours on telephone calls trying to negotiate a resolution to
the conflict.The conflict has killed thousands of people and displaced more than 13 million, creating the worst refugee crisis in Europe
