Paris, 31 March 2022 (dpa/MIA) - French President Emmanuel Macron is calling for an extended ceasefire in the devastated Ukrainian city of Mariupol to allow humanitarian aid to reach residents in need. Russia's hours-long ceasefire on Thursday was not enough time to allow trapped residents to get out and aid in, his office said. France insisted that international humanitarian law be respected and that the safety of the international organizations be guaranteed. In a telephone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday, Macron pressed his case for a humanitarian aid operation for Mariupol, which has been surrounded by Russian troops since the beginning of March. On Thursday, the Ukrainian government sent 45 buses to Mariupol to get people out. The success of the mission was not yet clear by early evening. According to Ukrainian officials, more than 100,000 inhabitants are still in the heavily destroyed city. Before the war, almost 440,000 people lived there.