OREANDA-NEWS. French President Emmanuel Macron intends to hold online talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin within the next week. He said this at a news conference, Reuters reported.

Macron told a news conference on Thursday, December 9, he will see Zelensky on December 15. The French president did not give a date for talks with Putin.

Our desire is "to restart this format (the Normandy format) and the political process," the French head of state explained.

He also stated the desire of European countries and the USA first of all "to support Ukraine in ensuring its security" and then to ensure a peaceful situation in the region.

Macron also said there was a need for continued "demanding dialogue with Russia" by the four European countries (France, Germany, the UK and Italy) and the US.

Putin held a meeting with his US counterpart Joe Biden in an online conference on 7 December. There the heads of state discussed the situation in Ukraine, bilateral relations, strategic stability and NATO enlargement prospects.

Zelenskyy described the talks as positive. He added that Biden was making a great personal contribution by trying to resolve the conflict in Donbas, in particular through direct talks with Putin.

Zelenskyy's phone talks with the US leader are scheduled for 19:30 Kiev time on 9 December (20:30 Moscow time), Ukrainian presidential spokesman Serhiy Nikiforov said on Facebook.