French President Emmanuel Macron sent his foreign policy adviser Emmanuel Bonne to Moscow on Tuesday to meet with his Russian counterpart and to prepare the resumption of dialogue between the French leader and Russian President Vladimir Putin, a source familiar with the matter told Agence France-Presse today, BTA reports.
The French head of state's emissary met discreetly with Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign policy adviser, the source said, confirming information from the French weekly magazine "Express".
This trip, which neither the Elysee Palace nor the Kremlin wanted to confirm or deny, is the first of its kind since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine four years ago. It will likely be one of the last steps before a possible future meeting between the two leaders.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was informed of this step by his French counterpart, the source said.
In response to a question from Agence France-Presse, Macron's entourage limited themselves to referring only to the president's statements on Tuesday, emphasizing that "discussions are being held at a technical level in conditions of transparency and coordination with President Zelensky and with key European colleagues."
On Tuesday, the French president said that the resumption of dialogue with Putin was being prepared at a technical level, without giving further details.
In an interview broadcast today on RT television, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Putin was ready to accept a phone call from his French counterpart if it was about "serious conversations."
"If you want to talk and have a serious conversation about something, then call." Putin will always pick up the phone. He listens to all proposals," Lavrov said, stressing that any serious proposal would be followed by a concrete and practical response from the Kremlin.
Most European leaders have severed ties with the Russian president over the war in Ukraine. Since US President Donald Trump has become closer to Putin, however, the temptation to restore contact has been great, so as not to leave the American leader to act completely alone in the diplomatic field with Russia.
In December, Macron said that "it would be useful to talk to Putin again", which was well received by the Kremlin.
The French president was criticized for continuing to speak with his Russian counterpart months after the start of the Russian invasion, but he then broke off all contact and began to speak in an increasingly harsh tone towards Moscow.
Macron and Putin last spoke in early July last year, the main topic being diplomatic efforts regarding Iran's nuclear program. In that conversation, they also expressed their differences over Ukraine.
Their previous phone call was on September 11, 2022, AFP recalls.