Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron had a “substantial” phone conversation on Tuesday, focusing on the Iran-Israel conflict and the war in Ukraine. According to the Kremlin, it marked the first direct exchange between the two leaders since September 2022.
In Paris, Macron’s office said the call lasted two hours and that the French leader had called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and the start of negotiations on ending the conflict.
A French diplomatic source said Macron had talked to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before and after his call with Putin to brief him on the talks. Macron also talked to U.S. President Donald Trump about the exchange.
According to the Kremlin press service, Putin said it was necessary to respect Iran’s right to the peaceful development of nuclear energy as well as its continued compliance with its obligations under the nuclear nonproliferation treaty.
The French president’s office said Macron, who sees the Iranian nuclear threat as sufficiently serious to justify the involvement of all five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, had also stressed the need for Iran to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Iran’s parliament approved a bill last month to suspend cooperation with the IAEA, the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, after Israel and the United States bombed Iran’s nuclear sites, aiming to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon. Iran has denied seeking one.
Macron “expressed his determination to seek a diplomatic solution that would lead to a lasting and rigorous resolution of the nuclear issue, the question of Iran’s missiles, and its role in the region,” his office said, adding that the two leaders had decided to “coordinate” their efforts.
France and Russia are both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.
‘New Territorial Realities’
On Ukraine, Putin reiterated his position to Macron that the war was “a direct consequence of the West’s policy,” which he said had “ignored Russia’s security interests” over the past few years.
Any possible peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine should have a “comprehensive and long-term character” and be based on “new territorial realities,” the Kremlin quoted Putin as saying.
Putin has previously said Ukraine must accept Russia’s annexation of swaths of its territory as part of any peace deal.
Macron has said Ukraine alone should decide on whether or not to accept territorial concessions.
During Tuesday’s call, Macron’s office said, “the president emphasised France’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
Macron and Putin aim to continue their discussions on Ukraine and Iran, the French president’s office said.
Macron and Putin held regular discussions around the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was criticised by some European allies, with Macron also visiting Putin in Russia shortly before the invasion in February 2022.
(With inputs from Reuters)
