Putin is ready to talk with Macron over war in Ukraine— spokesman
“Putin has expressed readiness to engage in dialogue with Macron,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state news agency RIA Novosti. “Therefore, if there is mutual political will, then this can only be assessed positively,” he added.
Earlier this week, Macron said Europe should reestablish contact with Putin to help bring an end to the conflict. “I believe that it's in our interest as Europeans and Ukrainians to find the right framework to re-engage this discussion” in the coming weeks, the French leader stated.
On Friday, European Union leaders agreed to provide Ukraine with a 90 billion-euro ($105 billion) loan to address looming budget gaps, though discussions on using frozen Russian assets to fund the package failed to reach consensus.
The French presidency welcomed Moscow’s willingness to speak with Macron, noting, “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.” Officials emphasized that any discussions would be conducted “in full transparency” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European allies, with the aim of securing a “solid and lasting peace” for Ukraine.
Macron has stressed that Europe should not leave the United States as the sole mediator in negotiations to end the war, which erupted with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. “The invasion of Ukraine and President Putin's obstinacy ended any possibility of dialogue” over the past three years, the Elysee said, but added that as prospects for a ceasefire and peace talks improve, engagement with Putin becomes useful again.
The United States is hosting further negotiations this weekend in Florida, mediated by special envoy Steve Witkoff and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, with Ukrainian and European envoys on one side and Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev on the other. While Zelensky noted that a trilateral format involving the US, Russia, and Ukraine had been proposed, the Kremlin denied that such talks are currently planned.
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