Putin ready to talk with France’s President Macron on Ukraine war: Kremlin spokesman

Vladimir Putin is ready to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin said on Sunday. Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told state news agency RIA Novosti that Putin has “expressed readiness to engage in dialogue with Macron,” adding that such engagement would be “positive” if there is mutual political will.

Macron earlier this week said Europe should consider re-engaging with Putin to explore ways to end the conflict. “I believe that it’s in our interest as Europeans and Ukrainians to find the right framework to re-engage this discussion,” the French president said, suggesting talks could resume in the coming weeks.

Meanwhile, European Union leaders on Friday agreed to provide Ukraine with a €90 billion ($105 billion) loan to address mounting budget shortfalls as the war nears its fourth year. However, they did not reach consensus on using frozen Russian assets to finance the aid.