France and Russia signal openness to holding separate talks as US-led peace efforts remain inconclusive
French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin have expressed their readiness to “engage in dialogue.”
The first public signal came on Dec. 21 from Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, who stated that Vladimir Putin had “expressed readiness to engage in dialogue.”
“Therefore, if there is mutual political will, this can only be viewed positively,” Peskov told Russian state media.
The French presidency responded positively, with BFM TV citing the Elysee Palace: "It is welcome that the Kremlin has publicly agreed to this approach. We will decide in the coming days on the best way to proceed."
The Elysee Palace also emphasized that any discussions with Moscow would be conducted "in full transparency" with President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders, with the ultimate goal of securing a "solid and lasting peace" for Ukraine.
Macron and Putin previously held a call on July 1 after nearly three years without contact, discussing Russia's war against Ukraine and the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Following this conversation, Macron also called Zelensky.
Macron had frequently called Putin during the first year of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
On Dec. 17, Putin lashed out at Western leaders during an annual meeting with his defense ministry, calling European leaders "piglets" and declaring that the goals of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine would be met "unconditionally."
