French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly sent his top diplomatic adviser to meet with Kremlin officials on Tuesday after he previously called on European leaders not to allow themselves be sidelined as the U.S. tries to broker a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia.
French media reported that a meeting between Emmanuel Bonne and Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov came as Macron confirmed that “technical-level discussions” were underway to explore resuming dialogue with Moscow.
Earlier, the Kremlin welcomed Macron’s proposal for Europe to once again engage with Russia after having largely cut off communications with officials in Moscow following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Bloomberg, citing anonymous sources, reported that Bonne was sent to Russia to convey that Europe would not “rubber-stamp” any peace agreement and that decisions affecting European security must involve European leaders.
Those contacts could be repeated “in the near future,” the sources said.
Macron has argued that communication with the Kremlin is necessary to negotiate post-war security guarantees. He said preparations to resume dialogue with President Vladimir Putin were being conducted “transparently” and in coordination with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European allies.
Reuters, citing two diplomatic sources, reported that Paris had briefed its European partners on Bonne’s talks with Ushakov.
On Thursday, the Kremlin said it would neither confirm nor deny that Bonne met with Ushakov. The French presidency also refused to say whether or not the meeting took place.
The reported visit coincided with two rounds of negotiations involving delegations from Russia, Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday and Thursday, which ended with the two warring sides agreeing to a new prisoner exchange.
European leaders have previously resisted calls for direct talks with Putin, citing doubts about his willingness to engage in meaningful peace negotiations.
Macron last spoke with Putin in July, his first conversation with the Russian leader since the full-scale invasion. During the call, Putin reiterated his position that any settlement must be long-term and address what he calls the “root causes of the Ukrainian crisis.”
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