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Macron tells news conference in Kiev he may make phone call to Putin again

The French president described as "useful" the role of a go-between Paris was playing in the settlement of Russian-Ukrainian relations

KIEV, June 16 /TASS/. French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out that he might call Russian leader Vladimir Putin again to discuss Ukrainian settlement.

"I do not rule out that I will hold a new conversation," Macron said, answering a question whether he planned to have talks with Putin by telephone. "There are many reasons for this," he told a news conference in Kiev on Thursday. The French leader remarked that one of the topics for such a conversation could be the food security situation.

"It is also important to move forward in the diplomatic direction," said Macron. He called for the resumption of Russian-Ukrainian talks.

"I can hear calls around the world for an escalation against Russia and some maximalist demands. These calls do not serve the cause of Ukraine," Macron said.

He described as "useful" the role of a go-between Paris was playing in the settlement of Russian-Ukrainian relations.

Earlier, Macron said that the total duration of his telephone conversations with Putin over the past six months reached about 100 hours.

On February 24, Putin launched a special military operation in Ukraine in response to a request from the leaders of the Donbass republics for help. After that, the US, EU and Britain, as well as a number of other states imposed sweeping sanctions against Russia and increased arms supplies to the Ukrainian authorities.