War in Ukraine: a decisive date set by Macron and Putin

The war in Ukraine continues, while negotiations for a peace agreement are stalling. To move talks forward and try to put Ukraine back in an advantageous position, Emmanuel Macron announced in Paris Match that he would "increase pressure on Russia" "in the next eight to ten days." He intends to exert this pressure with the support of European countries, as well as the United States. The President of the Republic claims to have convinced his American counterpart to be "united and dissuasive" in the face of Russia. "I told him that we needed to be much firmer with Russia to push Vladimir Putin to a ceasefire. [...] We must be ready, with the Americans, to toughen our stance with Russia to obtain this ceasefire. I believe I have convinced the Americans of the possibility of an escalation of threats, and potentially sanctions, to push the Russians to accept this ceasefire," he continued in the columns of Paris Match.