The Russian and French presidents have discussed the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, the Kremlin press service has said

Russian President Vladimir Putin has spoken with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron by telephone, the Kremlin press service said on Tuesday. It is the first phone contact between the leaders since September 2022.

The conversation revolved around the situation in the Middle East, as well as the Ukraine conflict.

During the call, Putin told Macron that the Ukraine conflict was "a direct consequence of the policies pursued by Western states, which for many years ignored Russia's security interests," and had established an "anti-Russian bridgehead" in the country, the press service stated.

The Russian leader reiterated Moscow's approach to any settlement, stating that it must "be comprehensive and long-term, address the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis and be based on new territorial realities."

Putin and Macron also discussed the situation in the Middle East, namely the recent escalation between Israel and Iran. The two leaders agreed that diplomacy was the way forward, the Kremlin press service noted, adding that they agreed to maintain contact for the sake of "possible coordination of the positions."

Both countries share a "special responsibility" to maintain "peace and security," as well as to preserve the "global nuclear non-proliferation regime," the two men agreed, according to Moscow.

"In this regard, the importance of respecting Tehran's legitimate right to develop peaceful nuclear energy and continuing to fulfill its obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, including cooperation with the IAEA, was emphasized," the Kremlin press service said.

(RT.com)