PARIS, July 2. /TASS/. French President Emmanuel Macron's call to Russian President Vladimir Putin was a good sign and may indicate the emergence of a desire in Europe to restore dialogue with Moscow, Thierry Mariani, a member of the European Parliament from France, told TASS in an interview.
"For three years, we have been in a situation where there has been no exchange of views or dialogue. There have been only accusations and attacks. So when a conversation starts, it's always a pleasant surprise," he said. Mariani noted that, given the conversation he had with the then German Chancellor Olaf Scholz at the end of last year, one can say that "the Europeans probably had a desire to engage in dialogue."
According to him, the Europeans, including the French, "do not want the Americans to discuss the world alone." At the same time, the politician believes that it is too early to give to Macron the role of a "negotiator" from Europe. He quoted polls as showing that the French president enjoys support of only 20% of voters and, without a majority in parliament, nevertheless retains powers in the field of foreign policy. "This is why it is obvious that he is trying to exist at the expense of diplomacy," stated Mariani.
"He tries to take the initiative in all areas, but the problem is that these are often individual initiatives. So it's too early to say whether it was a European initiative."
Mariani said that formally, Kaja Kallas should be engaged in EU diplomacy, but so far she is only "accumulating unsuccessful statements. This is why Macron could eventually provide such an opportunity for dialogue with Russia. However, there is a saying ‘One swallow is not spring yet.’ And so far this conversation is only a very small step forward," concluded Mariani.
The day before, the presidents of Russia and France spoke on the phone for the first time in almost three years. Both the Kremlin and the Elysee Palace described the conversation as informative. The leaders were in constant contact until September 2022, but the telephone conversations were interrupted by Macron's violation of confidentiality.