French President Emmanuel Macron signaled on Tuesday that he is open to restarting dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Macron, who is on a visit to eastern France, said contacts were continuing at a “technical level”. He said the process was proceeding “transparently and in consultation” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, but did not provide a timeline.
President Macron also condemned Russia’s recent attacks on Ukraine’s infrastructure as “unacceptable.”
On Tuesday, Russian forces carried out a major attack on Ukraine’s power grid as temperatures plunged below freezing across the country. President Macron said the attack did not show “a real desire to negotiate peace.”
Since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago, most European leaders have chosen to distance themselves from President Putin.
But US President Donald Trump’s recent rapprochement with the Russian leader has reignited debate in European capitals that feel left out of peace talks.
In early January, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated, “The time has come for Europe to also have a dialogue with Russia,” and called for the appointment of a “special envoy” for Europe who would speak with one voice.
In contrast, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz reiterated his opposition to reopening diplomatic channels with Putin, citing the Russian president’s “maximalist demands.”
In December last year, President Macron said: “It will be useful again to talk with President Vladimir Putin.”, The Kremlin at the time welcomed this statement.
However, he faced intense criticism for maintaining dialogue in the months following Russia’s invasion in February 2022, after which he gradually cut off contact and hardened his stance.
Macron and Putin last met in July, during a nearly two-hour meeting that focused on Ukraine and the Middle East. It was the first time in almost three years that the two sides had direct communication.
The last contact, which took place in September 2022, concerned the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant.
