Emmanuel Bonn, the chief diplomatic advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron, visited Moscow in early February and held talks with Putinʼs Russian aide Yuri Ushakov.
Reuters reports this, citing sources.
According to them, the meeting took place on February 2 and concerned key issues, primarily the war against Ukraine. European allies were informed of these contacts.
The Macron administration did not directly confirm or deny the negotiations, but stated that discussions at the technical level are ongoing in full transparency and have been agreed with President Volodymyr Zelensky and European partners.
Ushakov was Russiaʼs permanent representative to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe from 1996 to 1998, and from 1998 to 2008, ambassador to the United States. From 2008 to 2012, he served as deputy chief of staff of the Russian government, and from 2012, as Putinʼs foreign policy aide. He participated in the 2022 negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul.
In December, the French president also stated that a conversation with Putin in the future could be useful if it took place together with Ukraine and allies. Already on February 3, Macron said that the resumption of dialogue with Putin was being prepared, although Moscow has not yet demonstrated real readiness for peace talks.
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