The backstage of the Macron conversation – Putin: Who asked for it and how much it lasted. After the discussion, the French president called Washington and Kyiv
The Kremlin said on Wednesday that France was the one who requested that French President Emmanuel Macron would talk on the phone with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, after a break of almost three years, and that the two leaders had a “very substantial” discussion, reports Reuters, according to News.ro.
The two leaders discussed the conflict between Iran and Israel and Ukraine on Tuesday, this being the first discussion between September 2022.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov said that their discussion lasted more than two hours.
In Paris, Macron's office also stated that the discussion lasted two hours and said that the French leader demanded a cessation of fire in Ukraine and the beginning of the negotiations on the conclusion of the conflict.
A French diplomatic source told Reuters that Macron spoke with Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski and after his talk with Putin, to inform him about discussions. Macron also spoke with US President Donald Trump about Putin's conversation.
According to the Kremlin, Putin reiterated Macron his position according to which the war is “a direct consequence of the Western politics”, which, in his opinion, “ignored Russia's security” in recent years. Any possible peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine should have “a comprehensive and long -term character” and based on “new territorial realities”, Putin told Macron.
Putin had declared on other occasions that Ukraine must accept the annexation by Russia of parties in its territory as part of any peace agreement.
Instead, Macron said that Ukraine should decide alone whether or not to accept territorial concessions. During Tuesday's conversation, Macron's office said that “the president emphasized France's unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”
Macron and Putin frequently held discussions before the invasion of Russia in Ukraine, the French president visiting the Russian counterpart in the Kremlin shortly before the invasion, in February 2022.
Consensus on the theme of Iran
In their conversation on Tuesday, more consensus seems to have aroused the subject Iran.
According to the Kremlin's press service, Putin said that it is necessary to respect the right of Iran to the peaceful development of nuclear energy, but also that the Tehran must continuously respect its obligations under the treaty of nuclear non -roliform.
The office of the French president said that Macron, who considers the Iranian nuclear threat to justify the involvement of all the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, also stressed the need for Iran to fully cooperate with the International Agency for Atomic Energy (AIEA).
The Iranian Parliament approved a draft law last month, meanwhile promulgated by the president, to suspend Cooperation with AIEA, the UN nuclear supervisory body, after Israel and the United States bombed Iran, in order to prevent Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, although Iran denies this intention.
Macron “expressed his decision to seek a diplomatic solution that would lead to a sustainable and rigorous resolution of the nuclear problem, the problem of Iran's missile and role in the region,” his office said, adding that the two leaders decided to “coordinate” their efforts.
France and Russia are both permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Macron and Putin intends to continue their discussions about Ukraine and Iran, the French president's office said.
