Élysée Palace: No Macron-Putin call planned “for now”

A week after Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed willingness to speak with French President Emmanuel Macron, no meeting or call has been scheduled between the two leaders, the Élysée Palace confirmed on December 26.

“There has been no exchange” between the French and Russian presidents, “there is currently no plan for a call,” and “no visit by Emmanuel Macron to Moscow is planned,” the French presidency said, amid the lowest point in Franco-Russian relations, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Last week, the Kremlin had indicated that Putin was ready to engage directly with Macron, responding to similar statements from the French president. The Élysée welcomed the gesture and said its teams would advise “in the coming days on the best way forward,” stressing that any talks should be conducted “with full transparency” involving Kyiv and European partners.

On December 25, Moscow announced it had made a “proposal” to France regarding French researcher Laurent Vinatier, imprisoned in Russia since June 2024. The move was interpreted by some as a potential attempt to restart dialogue with Paris. While no contact is currently scheduled, Macron “remains engaged,” the presidency said.

The French president is “taking the initiative” on operational support for Ukraine, it added, noting that the European Council last week approved a €90 billion loan to aid Kyiv. Macron is also “determined” to strengthen unity between Ukraine, Europe, and the United States regarding the updated US plan, which has been under negotiation between Washington and Kyiv for weeks.

A new meeting of the Volunteer Coalition on security guarantees is scheduled to take place in Paris in January.

On December 19, Macron said that, following the EU’s agreement to release €90 billion in aid for Ukraine, it may once again be useful for him and other European leaders to engage in dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

By Aghakazim Guliyev