French President Emmanuel Macron wants to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stressing the need for coordination with European partners and limiting the number of participants. He also stated that the first “technical” contacts with Moscow also confirmed that “Russia does not want peace at the moment.” Le Monde reported about it on Tuesday, writes TASR.
- Macron plans to resume negotiations with Putin and involve European partners.
- France emphasizes the need for coordination without too many participants.
- The first technical contacts indicated that Russia does not want peace at the moment.
- Macron warned against the growing dependence of the EU on the US in strategic sectors.
- He emphasized the need for a coordinated European strategy and the strengthening of the EU’s global position.
Macron already announced his intention to resume direct talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which were interrupted due to the war in Ukraine, in December 2025. Therefore, he sent his emissary Emmanuel Bonn to Moscow at the beginning of February. “What have I achieved? Confirmation that Russia does not want peace now. But mainly we have restored these discussion channels on a technical level,” explained Macron in an interview published on Tuesday by several European media, including Le Monde.
Macron specified that he also wants to involve European partners in these negotiations. According to him, talks with Putin should be without too many participants, with a clearly defined mandate and with the participation of people who have decision-making authority. The French president emphasized again that this dialogue must not be delegated to the United States. “Our geographic situation will not change. Whether we like it or not, Russia will be here tomorrow and it is right on our borders.” he clarified.
He reminded at the same time that when Moscow and Kyiv achieve peace, it will be necessary to build a new security architecture in Europe, which will also include Russia. “It is therefore important that we resume the European dialogue with the Russians in a way that is well thought out – without naivety, without putting pressure on Ukraine, and at the same time so that we are not dependent on third parties for this dialogue,” said Macron.
In an interview published on Tuesday in several European newspapers, including Le Monde, The Economist and Süddeutsche Zeitung, Macron called on Europe to prepare for further tensions in relations with the US and to take advantage of opportunities to strengthen the Union’s economic and global position.
Macron called the recent case with Greenland a “wake-up call” and warned of the EU’s growing dependence on American politics and threats to strategic sectors such as digital technologies, pharmaceutical policy and defense. The head of the Elysee Palace emphasized the need for a coordinated European strategy with a “European preference” for key industries, including clean technologies, the chemical and automotive industries or steel, rejecting protectionism against foreign producers.
The French and Russian presidents last spoke in July 2025 – their first phone call in more than two and a half years. In 2022, Macron tried to warn Putin about the war in Ukraine in a series of phone calls and even traveled personally to Moscow earlier that year. After the invasion of the Russian army, Macron maintained telephone contact with Putin until September 2022.
