Ukraine's Zelenskyy urges France to enforce planned evacuation corridors

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday urged France to continue diplomatic efforts with Russia to enforce its planned humanitarian corridors after Moscow's evacuation plan failed to let civilians out of the besieged city of Mariupol.

“The initiative of France on humanitarian corridors from Mariupol must be implemented,” Zelenskyy told French President Emmanuel Macron in the latest phone call, according to his tweet.

He also discussed the negotiation process with Russia and “the course and prospects of the importance of security guarantees.”

Officials from the French Presidency told BFMTV news that Zelenskyy also appealed to Macron to work with Moscow for a longer humanitarian truce. The report said that Macron reaffirmed French efforts for a cease-fire and resettling of displaced civilians within Ukraine.