Putin, Macron Hold First Call Since 2022 on Iran, Israel, and Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin during a video conference at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, June 26, 2020. Michel Euler/Pool via REUTERS/File

Paris, July 1, 2025 (Saudi Arabia Breaking News) — Russian President Vladimir Putin held a “substantial” phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday, discussing the Iran-Israel conflict and the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin said. It was the first direct conversation between the two leaders since September 2022.

Macron’s office said the call lasted two hours. The French president called for a ceasefire in Ukraine and the start of negotiations to end the conflict.

According to the Kremlin, Putin said Iran’s right to the peaceful development of nuclear energy must be respected and that Tehran should continue to meet its obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Macron’s office said the French leader stressed the need for Iran to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Iran’s parliament approved a bill last month to suspend cooperation with the IAEA after Israel and the United States bombed Iranian nuclear sites. Tehran denies seeking to acquire a nuclear weapon.

Macron’s office said he expressed determination to find a diplomatic solution addressing Iran’s nuclear programme, its missiles and its role in the region, and that the two leaders agreed to coordinate their efforts. France and Russia are both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council.

On Ukraine, the Kremlin said Putin repeated his view that the conflict was a direct result of Western policy and claimed that Russia’s security interests had been ignored. Putin said any peace agreement should be comprehensive and based on “new territorial realities”. Macron’s office said the French president emphasised France’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

The two leaders agreed to continue discussions on both Ukraine and Iran. Macron and Putin held regular talks in early 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but contacts later stalled.