February 25, 2022 12:53am EST – Stacy Meichtry | The Wall Street Journal

Macron said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy asked him to call Putin because his calls weren’t getting through

French President Emmanuel Macron called President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Thursday to demand an immediate halt to Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine, according to the Élysée Palace.

French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a media conference after an extraordinary EU summit on Ukraine in Brussels, Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (Olivier Hoslet, Pool Photo via AP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers a video address announcing the start of the military operation in eastern Ukraine, in Moscow, Russia, in a still image taken from video footage released February 24, 2022. (Russian Pool/Reuters TV via REUTERS )

Mr. Macron told his Russian counterpart that Russia has exposed itself to “massive sanctions,” Mr. Macron’s office said, adding that the French leader made the call after consulting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Passengers rest on camp beds in a temporary shelter inside a building of the railway station after arriving on a train from Kiev in Ukraine to Przemysl, Poland on February 25, 2022. Russian invasion on Ukraine can cause a mass exodus of refugees to Poland. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

The Kremlin said of the exchange that Mr. Putin “gave an exhaustive explanation of the reasons and circumstances for the decision to conduct a special military operation” and that a decision was made to stay in contact.