French President Emmanuel Macron said he wants to reopen dialogue with Vladimir Putin. He also plans to involve European partners in the process.
Macron’s Adviser in Moscow
Last week, Macron sent his adviser Emmanuel Bonne to Moscow. There, Bonne held confidential talks with Yuri Ushakov, an aide to the Russian president. This was the first such meeting since February 24, 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In an interview with European newspapers, including Germany’s Süddeutsche Zeitung, Macron said he had received confirmation from Russia that it does not want peace. The French president added that negotiation channels with Russia have now been reopened at a technical level.
“My wish is to share this with my European partners and to have a well-organised European approach,” Macron said.
According to him, dialogue with Putin should be well organized, but without “too many interlocutors, with a certain mandate.” Macron believes Europe must speak to Putin directly rather than leaving the United States alone with the initiative of ending the Russia–Ukraine war through negotiations.
“Our geography will not change. Whether we like it or not, Russia will still be there tomorrow,” French president said to Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Macron said France should restart European discussions with Russians without naïve expectations and without putting pressure on Ukrainians. However, negotiations should not depend on third parties in the process.
Kremlin Reaction
The Kremlin said it welcomes Macron’s approach and is waiting for a concrete proposal regarding further talks. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that Moscow expects negotiations on the war in the near future, though there are no specific dates. According to him, the Kremlin does not yet see signals that Paris is ready to restore dialogue at the highest level.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Putin is ready to take a call from Macron. The last time the French and Russian presidents spoke was in July 2025. It was their first phone conversation in more than two and a half years. Before that, Macron and Putin met in early 2022, shortly before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. At the time, Macron visited Moscow on a diplomatic mission to warn against an attack and preserve a negotiation format between the West and the Kremlin. However, they reached no agreements, and less than a week after the visit, Russia launched full-scale invasion.
Previously, The Ukrainian Review reported on the conclusion of trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, the United States, and Russia. During those talks, Russia insisted on recognition of Donbas as its territory and Ukraine abandoning Western security guarantees, including foreign troops’ presence and potential NATO membership.
