German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron asked Russian President Vladimir Putin during a telephone call, to hold "serious direct negotiations" with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.
In an 80-minute call, Schulz and Macron stressed the need for an "immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian forces" from Ukraine, according to a statement issued by the German Chancellery.
The two officials also called on Putin to conduct "serious direct negotiations with the Ukrainian president and to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict."