A senior diplomatic adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly held talks with Russian officials in Moscow earlier this week, according to a Reuters report published on Thursday, Feb. 5.
Emmanuel Bonne, who has led Macron’s diplomatic advisory team since 2019, traveled to Moscow on Tuesday and met Russian officials at the Kremlin, Reuters cited one source familiar with the meeting and two diplomatic sources as saying. One source said the talks were intended to maintain dialogue on key issues, primarily Russia’s war against Ukraine, but provided no details on the substance or outcomes of the discussions.
The two diplomatic sources said France’s allies were informed of the initiative in advance and that Bonne held talks with Yuri Ushakov, a senior aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Paris cites coordination with Kyiv, allies
The French presidency neither confirmed nor denied that the meeting took place, but said contacts with Russia continue at a technical level.
“As the President said during his doorstep yesterday, discussions exist at a technical level in full transparency and in consultation with President Volodymyr Zelensky and with our main European partners,” the French presidency said in a statement.
French officials said the contacts were coordinated with allies and did not signal a shift in Paris’s public stance on Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Europe weighs renewed dialogue
Macron said in December that European countries may need to re-engage in direct talks with Putin if US-led efforts to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine fail.
European leaders, concerned about Russia’s military ambitions, have voiced frustration at being sidelined from negotiations led by the administration of US President Donald Trump, instead focusing on strengthening Ukraine’s negotiating position.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Macron said efforts were underway to restore channels of dialogue with Moscow.
“It’s being prepared, and discussions are being held at a technical level,” he said, adding that the process was being conducted in consultation with Ukraine.
As of Thursday, no further details of the reported Moscow talks had been disclosed.