French President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin have spoken on the phone for the first time in more than two and a half years.
Following the more than two-hour conversation between the two, the discussion focused on Iran’s nuclear programme and Russia’s war against Ukraine, the Élysée Palace said on Tuesday.
Macron is said to have emphasized with regard to Iran his desire to seek a diplomatic solution. This should enable a permanent resolution of the nuclear issue, the question of Iranian missiles, and the country’s regional role.
From France, it was stated that both politicians had decided to coordinate their actions and to discuss the matter again soon.
With regard to Ukraine, Macron reportedly called for a swift ceasefire and the start of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.
The last phone call between the two was in September 2022.
The Kremlin confirmed the phone call. It was said to have also covered the situation in Ukraine, alongside the Middle East.
Putin is reported to have explained to Macron that the causes of the conflict with Kiev need to be eliminated. Additionally, he said it was necessary to recognize the reality on the ground.
In doing so, Putin once again shifted the responsibility for the war he ordered onto Ukraine and renewed his territorial claims in the neighbouring country.
In addition to Crimea, which it annexed in 2014, Russia demands at least the four eastern Ukrainian provinces of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhya.
Recently, Putin also stressed his intention to create a “buffer zone” in the Ukrainian border area. This would bring further Ukrainian territories under Moscow’s control.
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