Russia says that despite contacts, it doesn't see desire from France to resume dialogue at highest level

Russia said on Tuesday it doesn't yet see a desire from France to resume dialogue at the highest level, despite recent contacts between Moscow and Paris.

Here are some details.

• Presidents Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron last spoke in July 2025, which was their first conversation for nearly three years.

• Macron sent his top diplomat to Moscow last week, sources told Reuters.

• Western European governments have largely shunned dialogue with Putin because of the Ukraine war, in contrast with the Trump administration.

• Macron said in December that Europeans would have to re-engage in direct talks with Putin if the latest U.S.-led efforts to broker a Ukraine peace deal founder.

• Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: "Indeed, contacts have taken place, we can confirm this, which, if desired and necessary, will help to quickly establish dialogue at the highest level. So far, we have not received any indication of this desire, although we have noted Mr Macron's statement on the need to restore relations with Russia. We are impressed by such statements."

• Peskov added: "We have long said that reducing our relations to a state of zero is illogical, counterproductive, and harmful to all parties." He said Russia favoured dialogue to address pressing problems that could not be resolved by confrontation.

  
  

-Reporting by Dmitry Antonov; editing by Mark Trevelyan/Reuters