France’s Macron to speak with Russia’s Putin on Tuesday

PARIS (Reuters) -French President Emmanuel Macron will speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin by telephone at around midday Paris time (1000 GMT), Macron’s office said on Tuesday.

Although the two spoke regularly in the early weeks following Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine, Macron last talked to Putin on March 29. Tuesday’s call would take place at the initiative of Macron, and follows a call he held with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday, the Elysee Palace said.

The conflict in Ukraine has flattened cities, killed thousands of civilians and forced more than 5 million to flee the country.