Paris: No Communication Between Macron and Putin Except at Zelensky's Request

The Élysée Palace announced on Tuesday that communication between French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin will only resume at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The statement added that the current situation in Ukraine is difficult and does not allow for the resumption of contact between the two presidents, emphasizing that Macron has pledged to provide security guarantees to Ukraine if it reaches an agreement with Russia. Meanwhile, the Italian government announced on Tuesday evening that the United States and the European Union reached a "broad understanding on the need to increase pressure on the Kremlin, particularly through imposing new sanctions" on Russia due to its war in Ukraine. This understanding was reached during a video summit dedicated to discussing the war in Ukraine, which included leaders such as American President Joe Biden, French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, Polish President Andrzej Duda, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.