Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg's Prime Minister;
Credit: SIP / Yves Kortum
Luxembourg's Ministry of State has reported that Prime Minister Xavier Bettel spoke again with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the telephone on Saturday 19 March 2022.
Following their exchange on Monday 14 March 2022, Luxembourg's Prime Minister and Russia's President spoke again over the telephone on Saturday morning. Luxembourg's Ministry of State stressed that the fact that this is the second such exchange this week "underlin[es] the seriousness of the situation in Ukraine".
Prime Minister Xavier Bettel made the objectives of this telephone interview clear to President Vladimir Putin: "You know the motivation for my calls. It remains to contribute, by exchanging with you, to de-escalation, the adoption of a ceasefire and commitment to a negotiation process".
Despite a glimmer of hope as the Russian President had highlighted his preference for finding a negotiated solution to the conflict during their last conversation, the situation on the ground had since worsened further, particularly in the city of Mariupol. "I am deeply shocked by the attacks against civilian installations. The images reaching us are intolerable", stated Prime Minister Xavier Bettel.
Luxembourg's Prime Minister relayed again Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski's call for negotiations to be held now at the highest level, from President to President, during an in-person meeting.
According to Luxembourg's Ministry of State, President Vladimir Putin expressed his appreciation for this subject, as well as the substance but also the sequence that could lead to a ceasefire.
Prime Minister Xavier Bettel concluded: "We must put an end to this tragedy and immediately stop this ongoing attack on Ukraine. No one stands to gain from these confrontations; neither Russia, nor Europe and certainly not Ukraine".
The ministry described the exchange as "frank", with both parties agreeing to stay in touch and continue their exchanges. Luxembourg's Prime Minister is set to brief the Ukrainian side of this exchange later on Saturday.
