MUNICH, February 13. /TASS/. French President Emmanuel Macron announced his decision to establish a direct channel of communication with Russia.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, the French leader emphasized the importance of ensuring that there is "no peace without the Europeans." "It is for the same reason that I have decided to establish a direct channel of communication with Russia, in full transparency with Ukraine, our European partners, and our American allies," the French leader said.

According to him, Europe "will be part of the solution, and we should be part of the discussion." "And we have our own European interests to defend in this, especially when it comes to the future of strategic stability on our continent," he said.

Macron added that he intends to start discussions with France's partners about the future architecture of European security.

The French president also called on Western partners to increase pressure on the Russian economy. "We are preparing a 20th sanctions package in the EU, focusing on energy and financial services actors, and we should continue to hit harder the Russian ‘shadow fleet’," the president said.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted that if Macron is ready to talk, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasized that he is always open to contact.