Washington, Jan 28 (Agency) French President Emmanuel Macron says he will continue to maintain dialogue with Moscow amid Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.”I will continue to speak to Russia,” Macron said on Friday, as quoted by BFMTV, during a reception at the Elysee Palace on the occasion of the Lunar New Year. Earlier this month, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said that France seeks to maintain existing contacts with Russia at “all levels” to allow unhindered exchange of information on critical security topics amid the conflict in Ukraine.
In December, Macron said that he maintained contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin and believed that negotiations were the only way out of the Ukraine crisis. He also said that he did not see “a military option on the ground” with respect to Ukraine.Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, after the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. In response to Russia’s operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow and have been supplying weapons to Ukraine.