A file picture of French President Emmanuel Macron.
| Picture Credit score: Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron has mentioned he needs to incorporate European companions in a resumption of dialogue with Russian chief Vladimir Putin almost 4 years after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.
He spoke after dispatching a prime adviser to Moscow final week, within the first such assembly since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“What did I acquire? Affirmation that Russia doesn’t need peace proper now,” he mentioned in an interview with a number of European newspapers together with Germany’s Suddeutsche Zeitung.
“However above all, we have now rebuilt these channels of dialogue at a technical stage,” he mentioned within the interview launched on Tuesday (February 10, 2026).
“My want is to share this with my European companions and to have a well-organised European method,” he added.
Dialogue with Mr. Putin ought to happen with out “too many interlocutors, with a given mandate”, he mentioned.
Mr. Macron mentioned final 12 months he believed Europe ought to attain again out to Mr. Putin, reasonably than leaving the US alone to take the lead in negotiations to finish Russia’s conflict towards Ukraine.
“Whether or not we like Russia or not, Russia will nonetheless be there tomorrow,” Suddeutsche Zeitung quoted the French President as saying.
“It’s due to this fact essential that we construction the resumption of a European dialogue with the Russians, with out naivety, with out placing stress on the Ukrainians — but in addition in order to not rely on third events on this dialogue.”
After Mr. Macron despatched his adviser Emmanuel Bonne to the Kremlin final week, Russia’s International Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday (February 12, 2026) mentioned Mr. Putin was able to obtain the French chief’s name.
“If you wish to name and talk about one thing significantly, then name,” he mentioned in an interview to state-run broadcaster RT.
The 2 Presidents final spoke in July, of their first identified cellphone talks in over two-and-a-half years.
The French chief tried in a collection of cellphone calls in 2022 to warn Putin towards invading Ukraine and travelled to Moscow early that 12 months.
He saved up cellphone contact with Mr. Putin after the invasion however talks had ceased after a September 2022 cellphone name.
Revealed – February 10, 2026 04:32 pm IST