00:00French President Emmanuel Macron held his first phone call in three years with his Russian
00:05counterpart Vladimir Putin. The Elysee Palace said in a statement that the call lasted two
00:10hours and that Macron had called for a ceasefire in the opening of negotiations to end the conflict.
00:15The Kremlin described the call as substantial, adding that Putin reiterated to his French
00:20counterpart that the war in Ukraine was a direct consequence of the West's actions.
00:25Putin told Macron that the West had ignored Russia's security interests,
00:28leaving them no option but to wage war. He also noted that any peace deal between Moscow and
00:33Kiev should be comprehensive and long-term and be based on, quote, new territorial realities.
00:39The Russian leader had previously said that Ukraine must accept territorial concessions as
00:44part of any peace agreement. The French president responded to Putin noting that only Ukraine can
00:49decide on whether or not to cede territory. The two leaders also discussed Iran, with Putin arguing
00:55that it was necessary to respect Tehran's right to the peaceful development of its nuclear program.
01:00The Russian president also noted that Iran must comply with its obligations under the Nuclear
01:05Non-Proliferation Treaty. Macron stressed the need for Iran to resume cooperation with the UN nuclear
01:11watchdog. The two leaders held regular discussions at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of
01:16Ukraine, but dialogue eventually stalled, with the pair having last spoken in September 2022.
01:22Macron and Putin have also agreed to continue talking and coordinate efforts on Iran.
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