French President seeks renewed European dialogue with Putin

President Macron aims for European partners to join in restarting discussions with President Putin, ensuring Europe's independence from third parties in Ukraine peace negotiations.

French President Emmanuel Macron today confirmed that technical discussion channels with Russia have been restored, despite his assessment that Russia currently does not desire peace. This follows his dispatch of a senior advisor to Moscow last week, marking the first direct contact since the Ukraine conflict began. Macron expressed his desire for European partners to share these channels and develop a structured approach, emphasizing that dialogue should avoid dependence on third parties in the peace process.

Macron underscored the importance of Europe shaping its own dialogue with Russia. "Whether we like Russia or not, Russia will remain. Therefore, it is important for us to shape the resumption of European discussions with Russia," he told reporters. He advocated for a systematic approach, suggesting a limited number of clearly authorized parties engage in talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, ensuring the process is neither naive nor puts undue pressure on Ukraine.

Following Macron's dispatch of advisor Emmanuel Bonne to the Kremlin last week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov indicated President Putin is prepared to receive a call from the French leader. "If you wish to call and discuss seriously, then please do so," Lavrov stated, signaling Russia's openness to high-level contact.

The most recent phone call between the Russian and French leaders took place in july 2025, marking the first such exchange after over two and a half years of interruption. Prior to this, in early 2022, the French President made numerous calls to warn Putin against sending troops into Ukraine. He maintained phone contact with the Russian President after the conflict began, but these exchanges ceased following a call in september 2022.

Last year, the French President had consistently stated that Europe should proactively resume negotiations with Putin, rather than allowing the US to solely lead efforts to end the war in Ukraine, a stance he continues to advocate.