French President Emmanuel Macron is positioned to become Europe’s primary interlocutor with Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding peace negotiations for Ukraine, The Telegraph reports.
This comes as Putin has rejected a US-Ukrainian proposal for a 30-day ceasefire and conditioned a more limited Black Sea truce on the lifting of certain Western sanctions.
Several “coalition of the willing” members have advocated for a European leader to spearhead engagement with Russia as part of broader efforts to support Ukraine. While both Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have been identified as potential candidates for this role, sources confirm that Starmer has no intention of holding discussions with Putin as part of the UK’s Ukraine support strategy.
An Élysée Palace source told The Telegraph that Macron is prepared to assume this responsibility “when the time is right.” The French President has historically positioned himself as a diplomatic bridge between Europe and Putin since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, maintaining open channels with Moscow longer than other staunch European supporters of Kyiv.
“Apparently, not yet,” the Élysée official said when asked if conditions were suitable for resumed contact with the Russian president.
Currently, US President Donald Trump remains the only Western leader directly engaging with Putin on ceasefire arrangements, though some European officials believe Trump has been overly accommodating toward the Russian leader. Finnish President Alexander Stubb recently expressed his preference for British and French leadership in negotiations, stating, “My personal preference would be that our representatives of the coalition of the willing would be doing that. In other words, France or the United Kingdom.”
Both France and Britain are allowing Trump’s diplomatic initiatives to proceed while advocating for increased pressure on Putin to bring him to the negotiating table. Western officials anticipate that Trump may eventually grow impatient with his Russian counterpart and significantly increase military support for Ukraine as a result.
Last month, following a European Council meeting, Macron indicated his willingness to engage, saying, “I am ready to talk to President Putin when we, together with President Zelenskyy and our European partners, consider that the time is right.”
Read more:
- Macron unveils Franco-British mission to reshape Ukraine’s armed forces
- Kremlin says “no plans” for Putin-Trump call as White House warns patience is limited
- “In some form.” Russia is now open to Western security guarantees for Ukraine —that’s never happened before
