Putin and Macron meet in video conference call

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Friday called for a ceasefire in Libya.

According to the Russian Kremlin statement, the two presidents agreed in a closed-circuit television call for a ceasefire and a resumption of dialogue between the parties, based on the outputs of the Berlin Conference and UN Security Council Resolution 2510.

The statement pointed out that the two presidents discussed the Libyan situation in detail.

On the other hand, the statement stated that Putin briefed his French counterpart on the situation in the de-escalation zone in Idlib, Syria.

Russian media reported that Putin made it clear in his speech that the common agendas of the two countries include terrorism and immigration, and Coronavirus, along with Syria, Libya, the Balkans and Ukraine.

Putin stressed the importance of uniting forces to confront common problems.

On the other hand, Macron pointed to the importance of the European continent in relation to regional problems, saying: “The real conditions must be created in order to establish a bilateral and multilateral dialogue.

He added: “Crises in Libya, Ukraine and Syria should be included on our agendas, along with issues that will be cooperated in the future, such as health, economy and the environment,” according to the statement.

The two presidents agreed in principle on Friday that it would be useful to hold a new summit on the conflict in eastern Ukraine, a source at the Elysee Palace said.

The source added that France is working with Germany to hold the possible summit, which will be held in Berlin and will also include the leaders of Germany and Ukraine, although no possible date has been set.

According to an official statement from the Elysee, Macron told Putin the importance of resuming the implementation of the road map to reduce the escalation agreed upon during the last Ukrainian quartet summit in Paris last December.

At that summit, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a complete cease-fire by the end of the year, as well as confidence-building measures such as a prisoner exchange. 

The exchange took place at a later time, but the fighting continues.