On December 21, the Elysee Palace officially confirmed that it welcomes the statement by the Russian authorities about the readiness of Russian dictator Vladimir Putin for negotiations with French leader Emmanuel Macron.
Points of attention
- Kremlin has shown readiness for negotiations, welcoming Macron's initiative for dialogue.
- The Elysee Palace confirms that discussions with Putin will aim to find a basis for resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
Macron wants to hold talks with Putin
On December 19, the French president expressed the opinion that only the resumption of direct dialogue with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin will help end Russia's war against Ukraine.
We, Europeans and Ukrainians, are interested in finding the right basis to resume this discussion properly… Otherwise, we will be discussing among ourselves with negotiators who will then go and discuss with the Russians on their own. This is not an ideal option.
Emmanuel Macron
President of France
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reacted quite quickly to the French leader's statement.
He made it clear that Putin was ready for negotiations with Macron.
Official Paris welcomed this unexpected decision by the Russian dictator.
"We welcome the Kremlin's public agreement to this approach. We will communicate the best course of action in the coming days," the Elysee Palace said in a statement.
Macron's team assures the international community that any discussions with the Kremlin will take place "in conditions of complete transparency" with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky and allies in Europe.
