This is the first direct dialogue between the two leaders in 3 years, in the context of the world facing many hot spots from the Middle East to Ukraine.
The Kremlin said the phone call took place on July 1 and lasted with "detailed exchanges" on international emergency situations. This is the first meeting between the two leaders since September 2022, when tensions between Russia and the West escalated after the outbreak of the Ukrainian conflict.
President Putin and President Macron focused on discussing the crisis between Iran and Israel, along with US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
The two leaders agreed that as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, Russia and France have a special responsibility to maintain peace, stability and prevent the spread of nuclear weapons globally.
President Putin stressed the need to respect Tehran's right to develop civil nuclear technology and urged Iran to continue cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in accordance with its committed obligations.
Discussing the situation in Ukraine, Mr. Putin once again accused Western countries of "ignoring Russia's security interests, supporting Kiev in building anti-Russia strongholds, and prolonging the war by providing modern weapons".
The Russian president also reaffirmed Moscow's negotiating stance that any peace agreement must be comprehensive, long-term, address the root cause of the crisis and must be based on "new territorial reality" - implying recognition of Ukrainian territories that have been annexed to Russia.
The two sides agreed to maintain contact to "coordinate positions when necessary", opening up the possibility of re-establishing a Russia-Western dialogue channel after a long hiatus.
The phone call is seen as a surprise signal in the context of Europe entering a period of geopolitical instability, from the Ukrainian war to the risk of regional explosions in the Middle East.
