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Russian FM Dismisses French Push for Peace Talks, Calling it “Pathetic Diplomacy”
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Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has sharply criticized renewed French efforts to reopen direct dialogue between Paris and the Kremlin, dismissing the initiative as unserious only days after a senior adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron traveled to Moscow for talks.
In an interview with state broadcaster Russia Today, Lavrov said that French President Emmanuel Macron had once again stated about two weeks earlier that he intended to call Russian leader Vladimir Putin, as reported by Politico on February 5.
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“You know, this is not serious. It’s pathetic diplomacy. If you want to call and have a serious conversation, then call. Putin will always pick up the phone. He will always hear out any proposals, especially serious ones,” Lavrov stated.
Lavrov’s remarks came amid behind-the-scenes diplomatic activity aimed at restoring direct communication between Macron and Putin, who have not spoken since shortly after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to the outlet,
Two EU diplomats told Politico that Macron’s diplomatic adviser, Emmanuel Bonne, visited Moscow days earlier to explore the possibility of restarting leader-level talks.
According to one of the diplomats, Bonne met with Yury Ushakov, a senior aide to Putin who is also part of Russia’s delegation in US-brokered peace talks with Ukraine. French officials declined to confirm or deny the visit, while Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov also refused to comment, citing “solidarity” with the French side, Politico reported.
The renewed diplomatic contacts are unfolding against the backdrop of broader international efforts to move peace talks forward.
On February 4–5, delegations from the United States, Ukraine, and Russia held a second round of trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi, hosted by the United Arab Emirates, according to a statement published by Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov on February 5.
Umerov said the talks were constructive and focused on creating conditions for a sustainable peace and advancing steps toward ending the war in Ukraine.
As a result of the discussions, the sides agreed to a mutual exchange of 157 prisoners of war each, marking the first such swap in five months.
Previously, it was reported that Russia is limiting any potential talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to Moscow.
“Russia is currently only talking about negotiations with Zelenskyy in Moscow, discussions about other locations for the talks are inappropriate,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
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