Vladimir Putin had an extended telephone conversation with President of the French Republic Emmanuel Macron

Many urgent issues on the bilateral and international agenda, including efforts to combat the coronavirus, were discussed during the conversation.

The leaders expressed satisfaction with the latest meeting of the Russian-French Security Cooperation Council held in Paris on November 12, 2021, with the participation of the foreign and defence ministers of the two countries. The presidents spoke in support of continuing the dialogue on military-political matters and other important issues.

The situation at the border of Belarus with EU countries was reviewed. The President of Russia emphasised the extremely rough treatment of refugees by Polish border guards. Having informed President Macron of his contacts on the migration crisis with President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko, Vladimir Putin said it would be expedient for the leaders of the EU and Belarus to discuss the problems directly.

Dissatisfaction with the lack of progress in settling the domestic conflict in Ukraine was expressed on both sides, and it was noted that developments around Donbass are also moving in the wrong direction. In this context, Vladimir Putin drew President Macron’s attention to the provocative nature of the large-scale exercises conducted by the US and its allies in the Black Sea, worsening tensions between Russia and NATO.

The President of Russia also underscored that Kiev has continued its destructive policy of sabotaging the Minsk agreements. This is borne out by the fact that the armed forces of Ukraine recently used strike drones in the conflict zone.

The status of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process was reviewed as well. Vladimir Putin noted that Russia will continue making steps to facilitate stabilisation and the consistent implementation of the tripartite agreements reached with Russia’s mediation.

The presidents of Russia and France noted the success of the Paris international conference on Libya. They emphasised the importance of maintaining positive momentum in the settlement process and continuing to work diligently with the Libyan parties, proceeding from decisions that have already been reached, including at this forum.

The situation in Mali was also raised by Emmanuel Macron.

The leaders agreed to continue their regular one-on-one conversations in the future.