Putin open to talks with France’s Macron on Ukraine, says Kremlin spokesman

Russian President Vladimir Putin is prepared to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on the war in Ukraine, his spokesman said in an interview published on Sunday.

Putin has “expressed readiness to engage in dialogue with Macron,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told state news agency RIA Novosti, adding that such engagement would be viewed positively “if there is mutual political will.”

Macron said earlier this week that Europe should re-establish contact with Putin as part of efforts to end the conflict.

“I believe it is in our interest, as Europeans and Ukrainians, to find the right framework to resume this discussion,” the French president said, indicating talks could take place in the coming weeks.

On Friday, European Union leaders agreed to provide Ukraine with a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan to help cover looming budget shortfalls as the war nears the end of its fourth year.

However, they stopped short of reaching consensus on using frozen Russian assets to finance the package.