Vladimir Putin-Emmanuel Macron phone call leaked: Russia says breach of 'diplomatic etiquette'
PremiumVladimir Putin claimed in the phone call that Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was lying to French President Emmanuel Macron.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reacted angrily to the publication of a call between President Emmanuel Macron and Russian leader Vladimir Putin on the eve of the war, calling it a breach of "diplomatic etiquette".
“We, in principle, lead negotiations in such a way that we never have anything to be ashamed of. We always say what we think and are ready to answer for these words and explain our position," he said.
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In a documentary about the French president's handling of the issue that will appear on Thursday, the channel France 2 revealed the specifics of the private call from February 20.
Putin calls the 2014 Euro-Maidan revolution, which installed pro-Western authorities in Ukraine, a coup and accuses Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy of refusing to hold talks with pro-Russian rebels during the exchange, which takes place as Putin warms up for an ice hockey match.
“People were burned alive, it was a bloodbath," Putin said as he claimed that Zelenskyy was lying to the French president.
At one point, Macron tells Putin with a slightly louder voice: “I don’t know where your lawyer learned law," as he criticises Russian views.
At Macron's urging, he consents in principle to the notion of a meeting with Vice President Joe Biden of the United States in Geneva. He sent soldiers into Ukraine four days later.
