French President Emmanuel Macron warned against escalation Sunday regarding Ukraine, a day after President Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin was a "butcher" who "cannot remain in power." 

"I wouldn't use this type of wording because I continue to hold discussions with President Putin," Macron said Sunday during an appearance on France 3 TV channel. "We want to stop the war that Russia has launched in Ukraine without escalation -- that's the objective."

His main goal remained "achieving first a cease-fire" and then a "total withdrawal" of Russian troops from Ukraine through "diplomatic means," Macron told broadcasters Sunday. "If this is what we want to do, we should not escalate things -- neither with words nor actions."

Macron said Friday that he would be continuing discussions with Putin in the coming days as part of an effort for France to spearhead evacuations from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol which has suffered heavy Russian bombardment. Several attempts at humanitarian corridors have failed as an estimated more than 100,000 people remain in the port city with a pre-war population of 300,000.