France’s FM urges for Direct EU-Russian Communication
Barrot’s comments reflect growing concern among EU members that their influence has been diminished by US President Donald Trump, who has spent months trying to mediate an end to the Ukraine war through direct discussions with both Kiev and Moscow. French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni have urged the EU to appoint a special envoy to Russia to ensure Europe remains engaged in negotiations.
In an interview with Liberation published on Sunday, Barrot said France had “never ruled out, in principle, engaging with Russia,” provided such talks are conducted transparently with Ukraine and the EU, and are “beneficial.”
“The Europeans, who are now Ukraine’s main financial and military backers, must have a channel to assert their interests, without delegating responsibility to anyone else,” he added.
In December, Macron called on Europe to resume dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin to help resolve the conflict, warning that negotiations might otherwise proceed without European participation. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that Putin was open to discussions with Macron if there was “mutual political will.” He emphasized that any talks should not be used by one side “to read lectures” to the other and must serve a clear purpose.
The last direct contact between the Russian and French leaders was a phone call in July, marking their first communication since early 2022 when the Ukraine conflict intensified.
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the
information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept
any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images,
videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information
contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright
issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
