The Kremlin said on Wednesday that it was France that asked for French President Emmanuel Macron to speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin after a pause of nearly three years and that the two leaders had a "very substantive" discussion.

For the first time in nearly three years, French President Emmanuel Macron held a phone call with Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin. One of the main topics of discussion was the war in Ukraine. However, France is not the only country whose leaders are currently maintaining contact with the aggressor.

It was the two leaders’ first call since 2022, and the Russian president’s first with any major European leader since last year.