All news

Paris still in the dark about who could have leaked Putin-Macron phone call

The French authorities continue probing the case opened after Le Monde published supposed fragments of a conversation that took place between the two presidents, a source in the French diplomatic circles told TASS

PARIS, October 19. /TASS/. The French authorities continue probing the case opened after Le Monde published supposed fragments of a conversation that took place between French and Russian Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin, a source in the French diplomatic circles told TASS Monday.

"The investigation continues and the [foreign] ministry intends to bring it to a close," the source said.

On September 24, a spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry told reporters that an investigation was launched in light of a publication of details of a phone call between Macron and Putin in the local media outlets. The diplomat underlined, "the dialogue that the president of the [French] Republic wished to establish with Russia is aimed at resolving all issues <…> in the spirit of frankness and exactingness and it will continue in the same way."

On September 23, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on the Le Monde publication, saying that Moscow does not think that the French authorities could have disclosed the phone call details to the media. According to him, the Kremlin is convinced that the Elysee Palace could not have deliberately handed over the phone call transcript to journalists in violation of diplomatic traditions.