PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday urged Turkey's leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan to "fight" Russian evasion via Turkey of Western sanctions imposed over the war in Ukraine.

Macron "underlined the concern of fighting any evasion of the sanctions in place," his Elysee Palace office said, after he spoke to Erdogan by phone on the one-year anniversary of Russia's invasion of its neighbour.

He added that "pressure on and isolation of Russia must be increased" to force Moscow to "give up" on its attack, the presidency said.

Erdogan has been able to maintain relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin by refusing to join Western sanctions on Russia and ramping up bilateral trade during the war.

US beefs up Russia sanctions on Ukraine invasion anniversary

The Turkish leader has used his good relations with both Moscow and Kyiv to try and mediate an end to the conflict.

Turkey hosted two early rounds of peace talks and helped strike a UN-backed agreement restoring Ukrainian grain deliveries across the Black Sea.

Erdogan has also repeatedly tried to bring Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to Turkey for truce talks.

His office said that he called for a "just peace" in Ukraine in a Friday phone call with Putin.