Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin spoke Tuesday by telephone for the first time in over two-and-a-half years, with the French president urging a ceasefire in Ukraine, but Russia's leader hit back by blaming the West for the conflict.
One week after a ceasefire ended Israel's 12-day war with Iran, the two men also discussed Tehran's nuclear program, with Macron suggesting Moscow and Paris work together to de-escalate tensions.
Fighting still raged on the ground in Ukraine more than three years after Russia's full-scale February 2022 invasion of its neighbor sparked the war, with efforts to agree on a truce at a standstill.
Ukrainian drones hit the Russian city of Izhevsk on Tuesday, killing three people and wounding dozens in one of the deepest strikes inside Russia of the conflict, authorities said.
The talks lasted for more than two hours, and Macron and Putin agreed to hold more contacts on Ukraine and Iran in the future, the French presidency said.
Macron "emphasized France's unwavering support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity" and "called for the establishment, as soon as possible, of a ceasefire and the launch of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia for a solid and lasting settlement of the conflict," said the Elysee Palace.
A Kremlin statement said Putin reminded Macron that "the Ukrainian conflict is a direct consequence of the policy of Western states."
Putin added that Western states had "for many years ignored Russia's security interests" and "created an anti-Russian bridgehead in Ukraine."
The Kremlin said Putin told his French counterpart that any peace deal should be "comprehensive and long-term, provide for the elimination of the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis, and be based on new territorial realities."
Macron had alerted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of his plans to speak with Putin and talked to him afterwards, Macron's office said without providing further details.
“Coordinate Efforts” on Iran
On Iran, "the two presidents decided to coordinate their efforts and to speak soon in order to follow up together on this issue," the French presidency added.
Macron has previously urged Iran to ease tensions by moving to "zero enrichment" of uranium in its nuclear program.
Russia, which, like France, is a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has a cordial relationship with Iran's clerical leadership and has long urged a diplomatic solution to the standoff over the Iranian nuclear program.
"He expressed his determination to seek a diplomatic solution that would allow for a lasting and demanding settlement of the nuclear issue, the question of Iran's missiles, and its role in the region," the Elysee said.
The Kremlin said Putin emphasized "the lawful right of Tehran in developing a civilian" nuclear program.
It said both presidents agreed that the conflict over Iran's nuclear activities and other Middle Eastern conflicts should be solved "exclusively" by diplomatic means and that the two leaders would "continue contacts" on this.
Macron tried in a series of calls in 2022 to warn Putin against invading Ukraine and traveled to Moscow early that year.
He kept up phone contact with Putin after the invasion, but talks then ceased, with the last call between the presidents dating back to September 2022.
Macron has, over the last year, toughened his line against Russia, saying its expansionism is a threat to all of Europe.
In April 2024, Russia's then-defense minister Sergei Shoigu and French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu, a close confidant of Macron, held talks focused on security in the run-up to the Olympic Games in Paris.
That was the last official high-level contact between the two countries.
Stalled Peace Efforts
Izhevsk, more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the front line, has arms production facilities, including factories that make attack drones and the Kalashnikov rifle.
A Ukraine security services source said Kyiv had targeted an Izhevsk-based drone manufacturer and that the attack had disrupted Moscow's "offensive potential."
Russian forces in turn struck the town of Guliaipole in Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region, causing "casualties and fatalities," Ukraine's southern defense forces said, without specifying numbers.
Macron's call with Putin comes as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have stalled in recent weeks.
Pressed by US President Donald Trump to find a solution, the two sides held direct talks almost a month ago, but Moscow has since stepped up deadly strikes on Ukraine.
Russia's army has ravaged parts of east and south Ukraine while seizing large swaths of territory.
An AFP analysis published Tuesday found that Russia dramatically ramped up aerial attacks in June, firing thousands of drones to pressure the war-torn country's stretched air defense systems and exhausted civilian population.
That month, Moscow made its biggest territorial gain since November while accelerating advances for a third consecutive month, according to another AFP analysis based on data from the US-based Institute for the Study of War.
Valerie Leroux, Stuart Williams, and Anna Smolchenko / AFP
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