Kremlin says Putin ready for renewed talks with Macron

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Kremlin signals readiness for dialogue if political will is mutual.
Comments come as US-led talks intensify on ending the Ukraine war.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron if there is mutual political will, the Kremlin said Saturday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said any such move would be welcomed if both sides are prepared. “If there is mutual political will, this can only be viewed positively”, he told reporters.

Macron calls for renewed engagement

Peskov was responding to remarks Macron made Friday in Brussels after a European Union summit that agreed on a 90-billion-euro loan package for Ukraine.

“I believe it would be useful to speak again with Vladimir Putin”, Macron told journalists. He noted that some leaders are already in contact with the Russian president, a reference to US President Donald Trump, who has resumed dialogue with Moscow.

Macron said Europeans and Ukrainians have a shared interest in re-engaging in a structured way. “Otherwise, we are only talking among ourselves”, he said, adding that negotiations currently led by envoys “are not the optimal situation”.

US-led talks gain momentum

Trump’s envoys are holding separate discussions with Moscow, as well as with Ukrainian and European officials, in an effort to reach an agreement on the Ukraine conflict.

Ukrainian, European, and American negotiators are in Miami, Florida, this weekend for talks mediated by Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, the US president’s son-in-law.

Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev arrived in Miami on Saturday to join the discussions.

Pressure call from Kyiv

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday urged the United States to apply greater pressure on Russia to bring the war to an end, as diplomats gathered for the latest round of negotiations.

The Kremlin has not confirmed any timeline for direct talks between Putin and Macron, but officials say the door remains open if conditions align.