Macron: Russia’s strikes on civilians mock peace talks

French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed his condolences to Ukrainians over the tragedy in Kryvyi Rih following a deadly Russian missile strike that killed dozens of people, including many children, and said that the Kremlin is mocking peace talks with such actions.

The French president told his followers on X that last night Russia again carried out numerous air strikes on Ukrainian cities, in addition to the strike on Kryvyi Rih on Friday, which killed many Ukrainian children.

“On this day of national mourning in Ukraine, my thoughts are with the children and all the civilian victims of the deadly strikes carried out by Russia. Once again last night, numerous Russian strikes targeted residential neighborhoods in Kyiv and several other Ukrainian cities,” Macron said.

Emmanuel Macron reminded everyone that Ukraine has unconditionally agreed to Trump’s proposal for a 30-day ceasefire, but Russia continues the war with the same intensity and does not care about civilian casualties.

“While Ukraine accepted President Trump’s proposal for a complete and unconditional 30-day ceasefire nearly a month ago, and we are working with all our partners to secure peace, Russia continues the war with renewed intensity, with no regard for civilians. These Russian strikes must end. We need a ceasefire as soon as possible. And strong action is needed if Russia continues to stall and refuse peace. How long will Russia ignore peace overtures from the United States and Ukraine while continuing to murder children and civilians”? the French president wrote.

On April 6, several Western embassies in Ukraine flew their flags at half-mast in memory of the victims in Kryvyi Rih. These included the embassies of France, Italy, Lithuania, Canada, and Norway.

Foreign embassies in Ukraine have joined the mourning for the Ukrainians killed in the Russian attack on a residential area in Kryvyi Rih on Friday, many of them children.

Commenting on Russia’s massive missile attack on Ukrainian cities on the night of April 6, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga called it the Kremlin’s response to US peace initiatives.

According to UNO reports, approximately 669 Ukrainian children have been killed by Russia since 2022, and approximately 14,500 Palestinian children have been killed by Israel since 2023.