French President Emmanuel Macron said his phone call with Vladimir Putin was important to discuss Iran's nuclear program.
The telephone conversation between French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin was important for France.
He stated this to journalists.
Macron noted that he initiated the call primarily to discuss the Iranian nuclear program and the importance of preserving the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
“President Putin expressed his willingness to cooperate on this issue. It was very important for us to receive such guarantees, since France, like Russia, is responsible for maintaining strategic stability,” Macron explained.
At the same time, according to him, issues of the war in Ukraine were also discussed, but without any progress.
The Coalition of the Willing will hold a new meeting
Meanwhile, Le Monde reports that France and the UK will hold a new meeting of the “coalition of the willing” next week, on Thursday. The meeting will be held in a video format:
The French president's press service said that “there will certainly be a discussion on how to seriously support Ukraine's combat capability,” to ensure “the revival of the Ukrainian army” and to deploy, “when the time comes, pacification forces as part of the ceasefire regime” (forces to ensure peace, probably in the event of a ceasefire).
The Purpose and Effectiveness of the “Coalition of the Willing”
The Coalition of the Willing is an informal alliance of about 30 countries created in March 2025. Its goal is to support Ukraine in confronting Russian aggression against the backdrop of the obvious withdrawal of the United States from its obligations. The main initiators of the coalition were British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.
The coalition's first summit was held in Paris on March 27, bringing together defense ministers and leaders from about 30 countries. The issues discussed included the possible deployment of European peacekeeping forces and increasing the production of weapons for Kyiv's defense needs.
Despite its ambitious goals, the coalition has in practice failed to agree on anything concrete regarding sending troops to Ukraine. This is because no country wants to send its soldiers without guarantees of assistance from the United States, which in turn does not provide such guarantees.
Recall that on July 1, French President Emmanuel Macron called Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time since 2022 to discuss Iran's nuclear program, the conflict in the Middle East, and the war in Ukraine.
Then French President Emmanuel Macron called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss current issues.
