Macron and Putin Discuss Iran, Disagree on Ukraine in First Call in Years

President Emmanuel Macron of France and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia held their first phone call in nearly three years on Tuesday. The discussion revealed some agreement regarding Iran, but disagreements persisted concerning the ongoing war in Ukraine.

The two-hour call was prompted by the recent U.S. actions involving Iran's nuclear sites. Both leaders, as members of the United Nations Security Council, expressed a shared interest in upholding the global nuclear nonproliferation regime, according to a statement from the Kremlin.

The call occurred after both leaders were seemingly excluded from the American decision. For Macron, it presented an opportunity to reassert France's influence in the Middle East. For Putin, it allowed him to highlight Russia's global importance despite Western condemnation of the invasion of Ukraine.

The call represented a diplomatic risk for Macron, as it marked a step towards easing the isolation of Moscow that Western leaders have sought to maintain since the start of the invasion. It was also Putin's first conversation with a prominent European Union leader since a discussion with the then-German Chancellor Olaf Scholz last November.