In the midst of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine where the Russian troops have been advancing across the former Soviet colony by capturing key areas, French President Emmanuel Macron has said that the worst is yet to come for Ukraine. He aired this stunning remark after a 90-minute phone call with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. His remark has thrown more weight on the claims that Putin is not turning back without recouping his control over all of Ukraine. 

The advancement of Russian troops has come at the backdrop of the talks between both countries. However, no amicable resolution is in sight and Putin has been sending strong signals - particularly to the West that the Zelensky regime would be ousted and the pro-Kremlin government would be installed in Kyiv. The war nears its tenth day and lakhs of Ukrainians have fled their homeland to seek refuge with their neighbours including Poland, Romania, and Hungary. 

As millions are expected to get displaced, French President Macron, who has held talks with Putin to defuse the tensions, has on Thursday had a call with Putin that lasted for 90 minutes. Besides heated exchanges, one takeaway from the call is Macron's conviction that the worst is yet to come for Ukraine. A close aide for the French President has shared in a condition of anonymity that Putin appears with the intention of seizing the whole of Ukraine. 

Speaking to the reporters in Paris, a senior aide said, "The expectation of the President is that the worst is to come, given what President Putin told him." "There was nothing in what President Putin told us that should reassure us. He showed great determination to continue the operation", the aide added. He further said that Putin wanted to seize control of the whole of Ukraine. Kremlin has been accusing the Ukrainian regime of committing genocide. 

The senior aide further said, "President Putin replied that he was in favour but without making any commitments", adding that Putin had denied that the Russian military was targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. "President Putin has a way of talking that is very neutral and very clinical. He sometimes shows signs of impatience, but fundamentally there were no open signs of tensions during the exchanges", a senior aide added. 

Following the call and after coming to the conclusion that Putin is not giving space for diplomacy, Macron took to Twitter and wrote that he had once again asked Putin to halt his onslaught on Ukraine but "at this point, he (Putin) refuses". Macron said, "We must prevent the worst from happening." In an official statement, the Elysee Palace, the official residence of the French President, said, "Today we have clearly established that the seriousness of what is at stake requires us to strengthen sanctions and to accept the price of sanctions. We cannot let President Putin believe that he will get Ukraine at a lesser cost."

In a televised address on Thursday, Macron warned of difficult days ahead as Russia refuses to mitigate its assault on Ukraine. Macron said, "Several men and women have been killed in the war. The coming days will most probably be increasingly tougher." While the French government is mulling to impose more sanctions and embargos on Russia, Moscow on the other hand said Putin reportedly told Macron that the goals of Russia's operation in Ukraine will be achieved in any case.