French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday that there was no urgency to open talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, underlining the need for Europeans to first refine their objectives.
Macron announced in December his intention to resume direct exchanges with Putin, which were largely suspended following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
“This is not a matter of days — there is preparation involved,” he told reporters after talks among EU leaders in Belgium. “What we need now is to work among ourselves on what we want to ask.”
Earlier this month, Macron sent his diplomatic adviser to Moscow to begin laying the groundwork.
“We need to prepare this, as Europeans, so that we are ready, when the time is right, to hold discussions with the Russians,” he said.
“And what do we want? We want security guarantees for Ukraine, but we also want outcomes for Europeans,” he added.
Among his priorities, Macron cited issues of prosperity, Europe’s future, and the continent’s security architecture.
The French leader raised the prospect of reviving dialogue with Putin yesterday, in an interview published by several newspapers, arguing that any talks should be “well organised” with European partners, but without involving “too many interlocutors."
