Macron seeks breakthrough on Iran in first talks with Putin since 2022
The two-hour discussion between the leaders – who stopped talking after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine – was dictated by the urgency of the situation in Iran. The Kremlin described the call as "very substantive" and said it was France that asked for it to take place.
Iran's nuclear facilities are believed to have been heavily damaged by US strikes but western powers now fear that Iran will leave the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT).
Mr Putin said he was open to discussing Iran's nuclear programme within the 'P5" framework of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council – Russia, China, France, the UK and the US, people familiar with the matter said. The Russian leader also said he could hold talks bilaterally or within a separate format involving Germany, the UK and France, known as the E3.
France views the Iranian nuclear threat as sufficiently serious to justify the involvement of all five countries. Mr Macron is scheduled to speak soon to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Wednesday said France was 'broadening discussions to other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council who were also signatories to the 2015 agreement' on Iran's nuclear programme, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action or JCPOA.
'It is in this context that the President spoke to Vladimir Putin yesterday,' Mr Barrot said as he addressed the foreign affairs committee at the National Assembly.
France and Russia have diverging views on Iran's nuclear programme.
Mr Macron recently sided with US and Israeli demands of zero enrichment, while Mr Putin, an Iranian ally, said during his call with the French President on Tuesday evening that it was necessary to respect Iran's right to the peaceful development of nuclear energy.
The Kremlin said Mr Putin also insisted that Iran must continue to comply with its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Strikes 'won't stop Iran'
US strikes 'certainly damaged and delayed [Iran's nuclear programme] even though it is difficult to have a comprehensive assessment of those military operations', Mr Barrot said.
However the strikes 'will not stop Iran from rebuilding its nuclear programme tomorrow', he added. He argued that a 'negotiated solution' was necessary to stop Iran ending co-operation with the International Atomic Energy Agency or leaving the non-proliferation treaty.
Some diplomats hope that Iran will be open to negotiations despite taking a hard line against the IAEA. Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-e Ravanchi told the BBC on Monday that his country was open to resuming diplomatic talks with the US as long as further US strikes were ruled out. Mr Takht-e Ravanchi also said Iran would 'insist' on being able to enrich uranium for what it says are peaceful purposes.
In their phone call, the Russian and French presidents also discussed the war in Ukraine. In a context in which both the US and Ukraine are holding talks with Russia, it was important for France to also open a channel of discussions with Mr Putin, informed sources said.
Mr Macron asked Mr Putin to set aside old grievances against Ukraine and focus on the current situation. But Mr Putin reiterated his position to Mr Macron that the war was 'a direct consequence of the West's policy', which he said had 'ignored Russia's security interests'.
Any possible peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine should have a 'comprehensive and long-term character' and be based on 'new territorial realities', the Kremlin quoted Mr Putin as saying.
The Russian President has previously said Ukraine must accept Russia's annexation of swathes of its territory as part of any peace deal.
Mr Macron, who briefed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy before and after the talks with Mr Putin, has said Ukraine alone should decide whether or not to accept territorial concessions.
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At times though, it has felt as if he is encouraging her, pushing her on to the balcony, parading her in front of the crowd, to receive not their applause but their baiting. When it suits them, her ministerial colleagues quietly withdraw, adding to her sense of isolation. She is the figurehead on the prow of the boat, Kate Winslet in Titanic, embracing the threatening icebergs. When they do voice their support their endorsements ring hollow, akin to a vote of confidence for the doomed manager in football. Increasingly, Ms Reeves seems to be carrying the weight of a government blessed with a huge majority but lacking in ideas, unable to drive that other revenue earner in economic growth and simultaneously losing the investment community's confidence. It was not like this in opposition. I met Ms Reeves a few times and found her impressive. She was on top of her brief, intelligent and seemingly capable. Along with Mr Starmer, she engaged in a concerted effort to woo the City and they succeeded. The word came back that financiers who were naturally suspicious of Labour were relaxed. This was a soon-to-be prime minister and chancellor who got it, who were not ground down by leftist dogma and appeared to be on capitalism's side. While they were not promising a re-run of Tony Blair, it was clear they were not exactly Gordon Brown, Ed Miliband or worse, Jeremy Corbyn. They were 'OK', which from the bankers was as good as it gets. Doubts were raised with the dissection of her CV. Here, Ms Reeves does merit the blame. She was not a novice; she knew how qualifications could be exaggerated and what a dangerous game that was. She should have known too that in business someone overselling their antecedents is a serious felony – often they either do not reach first base if it is spotted early or they are out if it is highlighted later. She must have realised as well that citing having been an economist at the Bank of England and then the same again at a major commercial bank was tantamount to someone saying they played for the Manchester United first team. They did or they didn't. That means in a competitive match and not sitting on the bench or simply being in the squad. Rather than admitting the error she dug in. The nickname 'Rachel from accounts' stuck. There was undeniably more than a whiff of sexism and snobbishness about her treatment. It was reminiscent of how Margaret Thatcher was dismissed as a 'grocer's daughter'. No disparaging label like that would be attached to a male, not to a son. Likewise, a man who leads is hailed as strong and courageous; a woman who does the same is portrayed as cold and unfeeling, again words that would never be applied to criticise the former. Another female UK politician who endured similar, also from Labour, was Barbara Castle. 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