France and Germany ask Putin to stop Syria attacks
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday asked Russian President Putin to support a U.N. Security Council resolution calling for an immediate, month-long ceasefire in Syria.
The two European Union leaders appealed to Putin—whose military intervention in Syria gave President Bashar al-Assad the upper hand in the seven-year-old conflict—to stop bombardments of the rebel-held pocket of eastern Ghouta.
Warplanes from Assad's government forces and their allies pounded the densely populated enclave east of the capital Damascus for a sixth straight day on Friday.
"France and Germany call for an immediate cessation of hostilities and the implementation of a ceasefire to provide civilian support, humanitarian access and medical evacuation, as called for by the UN," the two governemts said.
"France and Germany call on Russia to shoulder its responsibilities in this regard," they said in a joint statement.
