‘I didn’t change my number’: Macron still open to dialogue with Putin if it helps to bring peace

By SAMUEL PETREQUIN
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron says he’d still consider talking with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin if it helps to forge a “sustainable peace” between Ukraine and Russia. Macron and Putin enjoyed a good working relationship before Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. In the weeks leading up to the war, Macron’s diplomatic efforts failed, but he then kept open a line of communication with the Russian president for months. Their diplomatic and personal links have deteriorated as the war dragged on. Earlier this year, Macron even weighed the possibility of stripping Putin of France’s highest medal of honor.