Macron pushes for renewed European dialogue with Putin

President of France Emmanuel Macron said it would be “useful” for Europe to re-engage with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I believe that it's in our interest as Europeans and Ukrainians to find the right framework to re-engage this discussion," he said, adding that Europeans should find the means to do so "in coming weeks," Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

On July 1, Macron held a two-hour phone call with Putin — their first conversation in almost three years. During the call, the French president urged Russia to agree to a ceasefire in Ukraine and to begin negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.

The Kremlin later said Macron had not signalled any readiness to discuss peace terms that take account of what it described as “new territorial realities” on the ground.

The remarks come a day after European Union leaders agreed to provide Ukraine with an interest-free loan worth €90 billion. The European Commission had pushed for the loan to be backed by €210 billion in frozen Russian assets.

Several EU member states — including Belgium, Hungary, Slovakia, Italy, Bulgaria, Malta and the Czech Republic — opposed the proposal.

By Aghakazim Guliyev