President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday advocated continuing dialogue with Russia, saying “we must ‘assume that we can always continue to talk to everyone,’ ‘especially those with whom we disagree’.”

“Who wants Turkey to be the only power in the world that continues to talk to Russia?” the president launched before the French ambassadors gathered at the Elysee.

“We must not give in to any form of false morality that makes us ‘powerless,'” he continued, while repeating that “a diplomat’s job is to talk to everyone and especially to people with whom we disagree.”

The division of Europe, “one of Russia’s war goals”

Emmanuel Macron also “considered that” the division of Europe “was” one of Russia’s war goals, considering that “the unity of Europeans” was “key” in this file. The French president is one of the few European leaders who has spoken with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, after Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, a move that has been criticized.

The Elysee has always claimed to have acted with the consent of President Volodymyr Zelensky, and contacts have become sparse following the revelation of war crimes attributed to Russia, particularly in Boutcha, outside Kyiv.

The last telephone contact between the French president and his Russian counterpart dates back to August 19 and dealt with the situation at the Zaporijjia nuclear power plant and the organization of a mission by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

For his part, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has assumed the role of “facilitator” between Moscow and Kyiv since the beginning of the war, and the agreement for the departure of bulk carriers from Black Sea ports was reached in July in Istanbul.