Macron-Putin, the transcript of the phone call
The transcript of the telephone conversation, one of the many between Macron and Putin before the outbreak of hostilities, is part of a television documentary that will be broadcast next Thursday on public TV France 2. It is a 9-minute conversation between the two heads of state which took place on February 20, 4 days before the start of the Russian offensive. Putin immediately starts the attack: “you and Chancellor Scholz – accuses – have told me that Zelensky is ready to make a gesture, that he had a draft law ready to apply the Minsk agreements … in reality, our dear colleague Mr. Zelensky does nothing. He lies to you ». Then he points the finger at Macron himself: “you said that we need to review the Minsk agreements.” The Frenchman protests: “I never said Vladimir, I said that you have to apply them, that you have to respect them and I don’t have the same reading as you have in the last few days.”
The discussion on the “separatists”
Then the discussion becomes heated about the “separatists”: “they are not the ones who have to make proposals on Ukrainian laws,” Macron protests. And on reading the Minsk agreements, he adds to the dose: “I don’t know where your expert jurist learned the law”. Putin stiffens: that of Kiev “is not a democratically elected government, they took power with a coup, there were people burned alive, it was a bloodbath and Zelensky is one of those responsible”. Macron closes the speech:
“We don’t care about the separatists’ proposals”. Putin replies:
«listen to me well. Can you hear me? I repeat, those you call separatists reacted to the proposals of the Ukrainian authorities. Which then, to their answers, they have not followed up “. «Thanks anyway, Vladimir, if there is something call me», Macron recommends closing the conversation. To which Putin replies in French: “Je vous remercie Monsieur le président” (thank you, Mr. President).