France Welcomes Putin Willingness to Engage in Talks with Macron
The French presidency issued a Sunday statement following Russia's affirmative reaction to French President Emmanuel Macron's Friday appeal. The French leader said the EU should be ready to "reengage" with Russia and speak with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"It is welcome that the Kremlin has publicly agreed to this approach. We will decide in the coming days on the best way to proceed," the French presidency said in a statement on Sunday.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed earlier Sunday that Russian President Vladimir Putin remains open to dialogue with his French counterpart. The potential conversation, however, should not be used for one side "to read lectures" to the other and must serve a clear purpose, he told media.
"Putin is always ready to explain his positions in detail, sincerely and consistently," Peskov added.
Direct communication between the Russian and French heads of state last occurred in July—their first exchange since early 2022 when the Ukraine conflict escalated.
Macron's diplomatic pivot toward "reengagement" emerged immediately after an EU summit collapsed without consensus on leveraging approximately €210 billion ($246 billion) in frozen Russian assets as collateral for a so-called 'reparations loan' for Ukraine. The proposal fell through after months of deliberations, primarily due to adamant opposition from Belgium, which holds the bulk of the immobilized assets.
As an alternative, the bloc approved a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan raised on capital markets to finance Ukraine's ever-widening budget gap. Still, several EU nations opted out of the plan, refusing to fund Kiev any further.
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