France's foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has said that the worst phase of Russia's war on Ukraine could still be ahead with key Ukrainian cities at risk of encirclement by Russian forces. His comments come a day after a televised address by French President Emmanuel Macron who said he would continue speaking with Russian leader Vladimir Putin to persuade him to stop the war in Ukraine.
"I have chosen to remain in contact with President Putin for as long as I can, and for as long is necessary, to unstintingly seek to convince him to renounce violence... and to prevent the contagion and spreading of the conflict," Macron said on television on Wednesday evening, a Ukrainian flag visible behind him.
