Macron has urged Putin to enable the evacuation of Ukraine's besieged cities.

The French president's appeal comes as the Russian bombing of Mariupol terminates the second effort to flee the city.

During a marathon chat lasting over two hours, Emmanuel Macron pleaded with Vladimir Putin to allow civilians to depart Ukraine's beleaguered cities, as a second attempt to evacuate the port city of Mariupol failed due to Russian airstrikes.

In a second call, Putin and Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdoan, echoed the Paris request, while Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, addressed Russian nationals directly in a video speech, urging them not to "stay silent" amid the tragedy.

"Citizens of Russia - this is a fight for your country, not just for peace in Ukraine," Zelenskiy said in a televised address, switching from Ukrainian to Russian. "If you remain silent today, your poverty will eventually speak for you." And repression is the only option.

The Red Cross International Committee urged the two parties to renegotiate.

"Amid devastating scenes of human suffering in Mariupol, a second attempt to begin evacuating an estimated 200,000 people out of the city came to a halt today," the statement said.

"The failures of yesterday and today highlight the lack of a precise and functional agreement between the conflicting parties.

"The parties should agree not only in concept but also on the details and parameters for the safe passage of civilians to occur with the appropriate levels of trust."

During a heated phone chat with Putin, Macron emphasized the importance of avoiding disaster at Ukraine's nuclear power plants following Russian bombardment of the Zaporizhzhia plant.