Russia will be asked to observe a ceasefire in Ukraine during the Paris Olympics, French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview from Paris shown on Ukrainian television and posted by a Ukrainian journalist on her YouTube channel, as per Reuters.
The International Olympic Committee has condemned Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine. However, it allowed Russian athletes to participate in the Olympics, which will take place this year in Paris, in a decision that Ukraine has strongly criticized.
In January 2023, Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dmytro Kuleba, said that the International Olympic Committee is “sweeping Russian war crimes under the rug” and “trampling on the graves of thousands of innocent people” by allowing Russian athletes to take part in the 2024 Olympic Games in neutral status.
When asked about a call for a ceasefire during the Paris Olympics, Macron affirmed that such a request would be made.
“The rule of the host country is to move in step with the Olympic movement,” the interpreter quoted Macron as saying.
Earlier, the foreign ministers of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania released a joint statement expressing “deep concern” over the International Olympic Committee’s recommendation to allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete under a “neutral” flag at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Baltics call on Olympics to ban Russian and Belarusian athletes, not only teams
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