In a two-hour call with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and the start of negotiations on ending the conflict, the French president's office said on Tuesday.
The pair, who had not spoken since September 2022, according to the Élysée presidential palace.
Macron "emphasised France's unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity" and "called for the establishment, as soon as possible, of a ceasefire and the launch of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia for a solid and lasting settlement of the conflict", the French presidential office said.
Putin blamed the West for the Ukraine conflict in his telephone conversation and said any peace deal should be "long-term", said the Kremlin readout of the call.
"Vladimir Putin reminded [Macron] that the Ukrainian conflict is a direct consequence of the policy of Western states," the Kremlin said in a statement. Putin added that Western states had "for many years ignored Russia's security interests" and "created an anti-Russian bridgehead in Ukraine".
The Kremlin said Putin told the French president that any peace deal should be "comprehensive and long-term, provide for the elimination of the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis and be based on new territorial realities".
Putin has previously said Ukraine must accept Russia's annexation of swathes of its territory as part of any peace deal.
Macron seeks diplomatic solution to Iran's nuclear programme, missiles
Macron's office said the French president also stressed the need for Iran to comply with its obligations under the UN's Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and to cooperate fully with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
The French president expressed his "determination" to seek a diplomatic solution that would allow for a lasting settlement of the nuclear issue, the question of Iran's missiles and its role in the region.
Putin told Macron that Iran has a "right" to develop a "peaceful" nuclear programme, said the Kremlin.
The two leaders agreed to coordinate their efforts and to speak again soon, the Élysée statement said.
Attempts at high-level contact between France and Russia
The French leader tried in a series of phone calls in 2022 to warn Putin against invading Ukraine and travelled to Moscow early that year.
He kept up phone contact with Putin after the invasion but talks then ceased, with the last call between the presidents dating back to September 2022.
Macron has over the last year toughened his line against Russia, saying its expansionism is a threat to all of Europe.
The French president has also refused to rule out putting troops on the ground in Ukraine.
In April 2024, Russia's then defence minister Sergei Shoigu and French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu, a close confidant of Macron, held talks focused on security in the run-up to the Olympic Games in Paris.
That was the last official high-level contact between the two countries.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP and Reuters)
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