Telephone conversation between President Emmanuel Macron and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin

The French President had a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart about Syria and Ukraine.

In Syria, the situation is still very bad, with significant risks for regional and international security. Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about the discussions under way with Iran and Turkey. The French President set out the following priorities for France in Syria:

• Continuing to the end the fight against Daesh [so-called ISIL] being led by the international coalition and its allies on the ground, and combating terrorist groups listed by the United Nations Security Council;
• Protecting civilians, and full, safe and unfettered access for humanitarian aid to civilians;
• Seeking a negotiated political solution under the authority of the United Nations, which alone is capable of enabling a lasting victory against Daesh, as well as stability and the return of refugees to their country.

In this regard, he stressed the efforts necessary to enable constitutional reform and the holding of free and credible elections, under United Nations supervision.

The French-Russian coordination mechanism on Syria should make it possible to move forward in this direction, with all the players concerned.