Macron's diplomatic adviser holds talks in Russia with Putin's aide Ushakov – Reuters

Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to French President Emmanuel Macron, was in Moscow on Tuesday 3 February for talks with Russian officials.

Source: Reuters, citing a source familiar with the meeting and two diplomatic sources, as reported by European Pravda

Details: One source said that Bonne had met with Kremlin officials but did not provide further details, other than that the purpose was to hold a dialogue on key issues, primarily regarding Ukraine.

Two diplomatic sources said that allies had been informed of the initiative and that Bonne had met with Yuri Ushakov, an aide to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin.

The French president's administration neither confirmed nor denied the talks but reiterated that Macron had said discussions with Russia are taking place at a technical level, in full transparency and in consultation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and leading European allies.

Background:

• In December, Macron stated that Europeans should consider resuming direct talks with Putin. European leaders, cautious of Putin's military ambitions, were frustrated at being excluded from peace talks led by the US administration under Donald Trump.
• On 3 February, Macron told journalists that efforts to restore dialogue with Putin are ongoing. "Preparations for this are underway, and therefore discussions are taking place at a technical level," he said, adding that these discussions are conducted in consultation with Ukraine.
• Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa and Estonian President Alar Karis called for the appointment of a special EU envoy to hold talks with Russia.

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