Elysee: Macron will not contact Putin before the French President's visit to Washington

French President Emmanuel Macron will not hold a conversation with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, before his visit to the United States next week, the Elysee reported Friday.

"The president does not have a conversation with President Putin on his agenda before his visit to the United States," an adviser to the French president told reporters.

He added, "His talks with President (Vladimir) Putin are not on his schedule for talks with President (Joe) Biden."

Emmanuel Macron arrives in Washington on Tuesday evening as part of a state visit.

The presidential adviser confirmed that the conversation with Putin would take place "soon enough," adding that no date had been set yet.

In mid-November, the Elysee announced that Macron would call Putin after the G-20 summit, which took place on November 15-16 in Indonesia.

Then Macron announced on Wednesday that he intended to have "direct contact with him (Vladimir Putin) in the coming days on civil nuclear issues first and on the power plant in Zaporizhia."

The last official conversation between the two presidents dates back to September 11th.

The Elysee said Friday that the talks with the Russian president are taking place according to needs "and not on a routine basis."

He explained that Emmanuel Macron would like to remind his Russian counterpart of France's demands, which are "for Russian forces to leave Ukraine and for Ukraine to restore its sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Likewise, the Elysee indicated that the French president is working to secure the Zaporizhia nuclear plant (southern Ukraine), and "which was at the heart of a previous conversation, even two conversations with President Putin."

"Our understanding is that there is agreement in principle from the Russians to create this protection zone, but the procedures are very sensitive and there is still work to be done," the presidential adviser said.

He added, "Great pressure must be maintained on all actors, because no one, be it Russia or Ukraine, can play the safety of the station."

With regard to exiting the conflict through negotiations, a French diplomatic source indicated that neither side "has a real will to negotiate" because at the present time they are "convinced of restoring progress in the field in the coming months."

The diplomatic source added that for the Russian authorities as well as the Ukrainians, "it is a time for war, not a time for discussions or for diplomats," and concluded that "we have the conviction that this conflict will continue."

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