French President Emmanuel Macron said that the renewal of dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin is in the making. However, he added that Moscow has not shown a real desire to negotiate peace in Ukraine, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
Asked about this issue during a working visit to the province, Macron said: “This is being prepared and therefore there are discussions that are being held at a technical level“. He specified that the process is taking place transparently and in coordination with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“It is important that Europeans actually restore their own channels of discussion“, Macron said. However, he did not specify a date for this, and said that the recent Russian attacks were intolerable and showed that Russia had no real desire to negotiate peace.
In December, Macron again said that it would be useful to resume dialogue with Putin, something that was welcomed by the Kremlin.
Macron and Putin last spoke on the phone in July last year, and before that on September 11, 2022.
At the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Macron continued to speak to Putin on the phone, but was rebuked by European leaders and suspended the contact.