Russia Confirms Confidential Discussions with France
"Indeed, there are certain contacts at the working level, but we cannot yet announce anything noteworthy in this regard," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a press briefing in Moscow.
Peskov's statement followed Macron's revelation that preliminary efforts are progressing to revive direct talks with Putin.
"This is being prepared, and so technical discussions are underway to prepare for this," Macron told reporters during a visit to a farm in his country's northeastern Haute-Saone department, noting this is being done transparently and in consultation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and France's main European counterparts.
"It's important that the Europeans indeed re-establish their own channels of communication. This is being prepared from a technical point of view. I think it would be useful, but I don't believe that Russia is currently willing to conclude a peace agreement in the coming days or even weeks," he added.
Last December, the French leader indicated during a post-EU summit briefing in Brussels that renewing dialogue with his Russian counterpart could prove valuable.
"I think that we, Europeans and Ukrainians, have a vested interest in finding a framework to properly re-engage in this discussion. Otherwise, we'll be talking amongst ourselves with negotiators who will then deal with the Russians alone. That's not ideal," Macron said.
Responding to Macron's December comments, Peskov informed a Russian state news agency that Putin remains open to engaging with Macron, characterizing such prospects positively contingent upon "mutual political will."
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