In a not-so-surprising revelation, there have been no “major advances” in negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, and the horrors observed over the weekend in the Ukrainian village of Bucha are not aiding the talks, stated an Elysee Palace source, reported CNN.

“Bucha’s shock is not conducive to progress on negotiations,” following a one-hour phone chat between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Ukrainian colleague Volodymyr Zelensky, the source said in a briefing.

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According to the source, Zelensky was still interested in “maintaining and advancing the talks with the Russians,” as well as France’s role as a mediator.

According to the source, the two leaders discussed concrete measures to “make sure that Russia’s crimes do not remain unpunished,” including France’s promise last week to send additional cash to the International Criminal Court.

According to the source, Macron repeated his country’s willingness to participate in the investigation and documentation of violence against civilians and questioned Zelensky about accusations of alleged rape by Russian forces against Ukrainian women “which the Ukrainian president confirmed,” added the source.  

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The situation in the besieged city of Mariupol was also reviewed at the discussion, with Zelensky informing Macron that just 2,000 people were able to flee this week due to “Russians blocking” the evacuation corridors, according to the source.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the alliance is collaborating with the International Criminal Court to investigate Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

Stoltenberg, speaking to reporters from NATO’s headquarters ahead of tomorrow’s foreign ministers conference, said the alliance had accumulating proof of war crimes committed in Bucha and other Ukrainian cities.

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“NATO allies are providing support to the UN International Criminal Court to collect evidence, to preserve evidence, to collect relevant information and to enable them to conduct investigations and to have a legal process to make sure that all those responsible for these atrocities are held accountable,” Stoltenberg said.