Publication of Putin and Macron's Conversation Raises Concerns

The partial publication of the content of the phone conversation between the presidents of Russia and France by French media is unacceptable. This statement was made by Alexey Zaytsev, Deputy Director of the Diplomatic Service of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

“The partial disclosure of the content of the phone conversation between the presidents of Russia and France, which took place on February 20, cannot fail to raise concerns. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that the details of a private conversation between the leaders of the two countries have been publicized. We consider this unacceptable,” Zaytsev said.

He emphasized that this does not correspond to the accepted practices in diplomacy regarding high-level communications.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had commented on the publication of the phone conversation between the leaders of Russia and France, noting that diplomatic ethics does not allow for the leaking of recorded conversations. Recently, the French television channel “France 2” aired a documentary about the Élysée Palace. The film titled “The President, Europe, and War” also discussed the conversation between Putin and Macron that took place on February 20. A few days before the film's release, the publication “Le Temps” had made public a transcription of the presidents’ conversation.