European Union countries have started summoning the Russian ambassadors in their capitals in a coordinated response to Russia's illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories, an EU official told dpa on Sunday.
Germany has summoned the Russian ambassador in Berlin, the German Foreign Office confirmed to dpa.
The Russian ambassadors to Italy, Austria and Denmark have been been summoned to the foreign ministries for Monday.
The Russian ambassador to Belgium was already summoned on Friday.
The summoning is coordinated by the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU's diplomatic service.
Also on Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated his country's support for Ukraine in a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Macron assured his Ukrainian counterpart of France's determination to help Ukraine restore its full sovereignty and territorial integrity and to work with its European partners towards new sanctions, the Élysée Palace said.
The French president also condemned the arrest of the head of the occupied Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant by Russian forces, it said.
The Ukrainian nuclear authority on Saturday accused Russian forces of kidnapping the director general of the plant, Ihor Murashov, saying he had been dragged out of his car while at the site and taken blindfolded to an unknown location.
Russian authorities later informed the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Murashov had been "temporarily detained to answer questions," according to an IAEA spokesperson in Vienna.
During their phone call, both presidents agreed that it was urgently necessary to facilitate the replacement of the Ukrainian employees who ensure the operation and safety of the plant, according to the statement.
