France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart may be heading for bilateral talks on Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin “expressed readiness to engage in dialogue” with Macron on the issue, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday, according to media reports. The Elysée responded positively. “It is welcome that the Kremlin has publicly agreed to this approach. We will decide in the coming days on the best way to proceed,” the French presidency said. Macron said at last week’s EU summit in Brussels that it would be “useful” for Europe to reach out to Putin to ensure that a peace deal in Ukraine is not negotiated solely by the United States, Russia and Ukraine. “I think that we Europeans and Ukrainians need to find a framework to engage a discussion in due form,” Macron told reporters as the summit wrapped up early Friday morning. The Elysée stressed that any talks with Russia would take place in “full transparency” with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and European allies, Le Monde reported. Macron and Putin have rarely been in direct contact since Moscow launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. Their most recent phone communication was in July, following about three years of no contact.

PARIS — Russia likely wants to militarize space, while its undersea activity is also “extremely worrying,” a top French general said during a rare press conference Friday. Describing the Kremlin as “a lasting threat,” Chief of the Defense Staff Thierry Burkhard said Russian submarines “regularly enter the North Atlantic and then sometimes descend into the Mediterranean” in order to “monitor areas which are important [to France].” Burkhard also said Moscow’s satellites are being used to spy on or interfere with French equipment. He also pointed to “signs of a desire to militarize space” with specialized satellites “which would likely not be legal under the laws relating to the non-militarization of space.” During the first press conference held by the French chief of the defense staff since 2021, Burkhard aimed to outline the threats currently facing France ahead of a speech Sunday on defense by President Emmanuel Macron, which is expected to include major announcements. Beyond Russia, Burkhard also highlighted how tensions in other parts of the world — including the Middle East — are adding to an already demanding situation for French troops. He stressed that “unbridled use of force” and “getting used to violence” had become defining elements of the global landscape. While avoiding a direct call for increased military spending, Burkhard said that finding the best way to confront these challenges “probably comes at a cost.” France is looking to increase its military budget to €67.4 billion by 2030, from €50.5 billion for this year.

PARIS — France is planning to put forward a proposal with its European partners to resolve the conflict between Israel and Iran amid fears of a regional escalation. After holding a defense cabinet meeting on Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron tasked his foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot to “lead in the coming days an initiative, with our close European partners, in order to propose a stringent negotiated settlement,” according to the French presidency. The Elysée statement gave no details as to what the proposal could be, nor which European nations Paris was working with. France is part of the E3 group of nations, which includes the United Kingdom and Germany, that have been working on nuclear negotiations with Iran for years. A European official told POLITICO in a statement that “[the EU’s top diplomat] Kaja Kallas will join her E3 counterparts for talks with the Iranian Foreign Minister in Geneva on Friday. This in-person meeting follows a phone call between the four last Monday. The aim is to discuss the latest developments and urge Iran to return to the negotiating table.” During the G7 summit in Canada earlier this week, Macron said “an offer had been made” to U.S. President Donald Trump, with the prospect of a ceasefire between Israel and Iran. But Trump swiftly slapped down the French president’s comment, saying Macron “always gets it wrong.” On Wednesday, Macron also called for an end to military strikes against civilians and non-nuclear targets. The French leader “expressed his concern about the current escalation, with Israeli strikes that are targeting more and more objectives that are not linked to the Iranian nuclear and ballistic program,” according to the French presidency. Europeans have called for restraint as Israel targets top Iranian officials and nuclear sites, but their diplomatic efforts so far have appeared to fall on deaf ears in Washington and Israel.

PARIS  — Plans for a United Nations conference on reviving the two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinian people appear to be on ice after Israel’s strikes against Iran, POLITICO was informed. One European diplomat, who, like others quoted in this story, was granted anonymity to discuss the matter, said the meeting had become “collateral damage” of the Israeli bombardment. The attack, which took place on Thursday night, targeted nuclear sites and top-ranking Iranian officials and is now threatening to plunge the Middle East into a catastrophic conflict. While two European officials said the conference, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia, would almost certainly be postponed, all four officials POLITICO spoke with said a final decision had not yet been taken. The United States was reportedly urging allies not to take part, arguing it would reward Hamas for spearheading the Oct. 7 terror attack that sparked the current crisis in Gaza, Reuters reported, citing a leaked diplomatic cable. Neither Macron’s office nor the U.S. Embassy in Paris immediately responded to a request for comment. French President Emmanuel Macron’s team had hoped that the event would see European states officially recognize Palestinian statehood and some Middle Eastern states move towards normalizing relations with Israel. However, Paris has already been forced to temper its expectations for the conference due to the outrage over the humanitarian catastrophe playing out in Gaza. Macron had attempted to lobby European states to jointly recognize a Palestinian state — which the French leader said he would do in April under certain conditions — but a breakthrough failed to materialize in recent weeks. One U.K. government figure said there had been “considerable uncertainty about what [France] was playing at,” and posited that Macron “has his eye on grandeur and legacy.”  Britain planned to attend the conference and host a working group on the first day, but has said recognition can only happen when a two-state solution is workable on the ground. Even before Israel’s attack, the U.K. was still making up its mind about who would attend the conference, mulling whether to send a junior minister or unelected officials. Richard Gowan, director of UN diplomacy for the International Crisis Group, said the smart betting in diplomatic circles was “that France will announce that it will recognize Palestine, but only when certain conditions — like a governance overhaul at the Palestinian Authority and more Arab countries recognizing Israel — are met.”  Esther Webber contributed reporting.

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that Greenland is “not for the taking” in a not-so-veiled swipe at U.S. President Donald Trump’s continued threats to annex the Arctic island. “Greenland is not for taking, and neither are Antarctica nor the high seas for sale,” Macron said during his opening speech in the French coastal city of Nice at a United Nations conference on protecting the oceans. Macron is set to visit the autonomous Danish territory Sunday, where he will hold talks with the Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on North Atlantic and Arctic security as well as climate change, energy and critical minerals, the French president’s office said. Since his return to the White House, Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to control the mineral-rich, strategically located island. During his speech, the French president also delivered a forceful defense of multilateralism, six months after the U.S. left the Paris climate agreement — the 2015 framework aimed at curbing greenhouse gas emissions — for a second time under Trump. “To win the battle for the oceans, we need to revive multilateralism,” he said. Speaking out against resurgent climate skepticism, Macron said: “Climate and biodiversity are not an question of opinion but a scientifically established fact.”

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron has accepted an invitation for a formal state visit to the United Kingdom to meet with Britain’s King Charles III. Macron’s office said that the trip, which will also include a summit between the French leader and U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, will take place from July 8 to 10. Such meetings used to be an annual ritual, but were suspended during the acrimonious Brexit negotiations. The Elysée Palace said in a statement that the visit “will show the depth of the ties that unite our two countries and our two people.” With the war raging in Ukraine and European security a concern amid threats from Russia, it’s expected the summit will focus on defense and security, an area where the French and the British have in the past worked together closely. Ties between France and the United Kingdom have improved since the frosty days of tense Brexit negotiations, which concluded with a deal in 2020. Starmer’s effort to reset relations with the bloc have helped further thaw London’s relationships with both Brussels and Paris. The visit will also be an opportunity to address some thorny issues that divide the two countries. France has been playing hardball on reset talks between the EU and the U.K. — Paris wants London to commit to extending fishing rights for EU trawlers in British waters beyond a looming deadline next year.

PARIS  — Emmanuel Macron’s office took the unusual step of denouncing unsubstantiated claims that the French president had a bag of cocaine with him while visiting Ukraine over the weekend. The rumors were sparked after Macron was filmed subtly removing a crumpled white object from a table as he sat beside Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer during their trip to Kyiv on Saturday. On its official X account, the Elysée Palace was adamant that the object was a tissue. “This is a tissue. For blowing your nose” it posted next to another picture of the leaders with the caption, “This is European unity. To build peace.” > When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to > make a simple tissue look like drugs. > > This fake news is being spread by France’s enemies, both abroad and at home. > We must remain vigilant against manipulation. pic.twitter.com/xyXhGm9Dsr > > — Élysée (@Elysee) May 11, 2025 The Elysée accused “France’s enemies” of spreading disinformation, though it has held back from pointing the finger at anyone specifically. France last month said Russia was waging a silent war against the country and denounced cyberattacks coming from the Kremlin. “We must remain vigilant against manipulation,” read the post, which was published in French and English. “When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes as far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs,” it read. The French presidency has adopted a more aggressive approach against disinformation on the internet in recent weeks, which has coincided with the arrival of Macron’s new international spokesperson Jean-Noël Ladois. “It’s by denying them when they emerge that we weaken them,” said an Elysée official, who was granted anonymity in line with standard French protocol. The Elysée Palace also hit back last month at a news story that claimed U.S. President Donald Trump had excluded Macron during talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Vatican.

PARIS  — French President Emmanuel Macron will on Wednesday host Ahmed al-Sharaa on the Syrian leader’s first trip to Europe, the French presidency said. During the visit, Macron will “reiterate France’s support for the building of a new Syria, a free Syria, stable, sovereign and respectful of all the communities of the Syrian society,” the statement read. “This meeting is part of France’s historic commitment to the Syrian people who want peace and democracy,” the French statement said. Macron became the first European leader to speak with al-Sharaa in February and invited him to visit France during that phone call. Al-Sharaa, a former Islamist rebel, has received a cautious welcome by the international community after his forces toppled former strongman Bashar Assad late last year. He has vowed to protect minority groups in Syria and pursue more inclusive policies, but sectarian violence in recent months has raised fears al-Sharaa is failing to rein in Syria’s extremist factions. Human rights groups say hundreds of people, mostly from the minority Alawite community, of which Assad was a member, were killed in sectarian violence in March. It’s likely al-Sharaa will press Macron for support to get international sanctions on Syria lifted. In February, the EU suspended some energy, transport and banking sanctions, but many nations are wary of lifting the measures too quickly without seeing tangible progress on democratic reforms and the protection of the rights of women and minorities. Assad ruled Syria for more than two decades after taking over from his father Hafez Assad, and his regime is accused of committing crimes against humanity during Syria’s 13-year-long civil war.

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said that any Ukraine ceasefire agreement would need to “start from reality,” comments likely to further fuel concerns in Kyiv that it will be forced to cede territory to Russia. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio joined special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg in Paris for the talks Thursday alongside high-level representatives from the United Kingdom, Ukraine and Germany. While all sides agreed on the need for an immediate ceasefire, an Elysée official, speaking after the day’s discussions concluded, emphasized pragmatism while noting “a number of territories are currently occupied by Russia.” Witkoff, who has traveled to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow on multiple occasions, just days ago told Fox News that the peace deal Russia has proposed hinges on “five territories of Ukraine.” The special envoy did not specify which territories he meant, but they likely refer to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia illegally seized in 2014, as well as Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia — four regions where Russia conducted sham referendums before illegally annexing them, even though the Kremlin doesn’t fully control those territories. Kyiv will never recognize these regions as Russian, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said after Witkoff’s comments, calling on the international community to respect the country’s territorial integrity and internationally recognized borders. While the territorial contours of a ceasefire are just one of the many challenges that lay ahead in striking an agreement, Macron’s office said that Thursday marked the start of a “positive process in which Europeans are involved.” “Our goal is peace as quickly as possible, a solid peace and a peace that guarantees respect for Ukraine’s essential rights,” the Elysée official said. Europeans have so far struggled to get a seat at the talks and have been warning the U.S. administration against agreeing too quickly to a truce without solid security guarantees for Ukraine, as well as a system for monitoring and responding to any ceasefire violations. To that end, the French and the British are spearheading a so-called “coalition of the willing,” which includes more than 30 countries who want to provide support for Ukraine, including the possible deployment of a reassurance force on the ground in case of a ceasefire.   The Elysée said Macron spoke with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier in the day and after the meetings. Similar meetings involving high-level representatives from France, Germany, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States will be held in London next week.

PARIS — Jordan Bardella might have a shot at becoming the next president of France, but his path to get there isn’t as straightforward as it seems. With Marine Le Pen’s presidential aspirations having been derailed by an embezzlement conviction, Bardella has emerged this week as the most likely candidate of France’s largest far-right party for the 2027 presidential election. Slick, photogenic, ambitious and just 29 years old, Bardella has long been seen as the heir-apparent in the National Rally when Le Pen, 56, steps away. But what on its surface appears to be a once-in-a lifetime lucky break is, on deeper inspection, little more than a poisoned chalice. For starters, Le Pen has conspicuously declined to endorse a possible Bardella candidacy, instead vowing to fight for the opportunity to run herself after all. Tuesday’s decision by an appeals court to rule on the case by summer 2026 gives her a sliver of hope. It’s made more difficult for her protégé that Le Pen is almost universally worshipped within her party. None of her allies appear ready to tell her that endorsing Bardella now, rather than waiting for the courts to rule on her case, is the safest way to protect her movement. “For Bardella, the way Marine Le Pen is reacting is not good news,” said a former National Rally official who has kept links with the party. The official said that if Le Pen waited until the “bitter end” and is still barred from running, it will be too late for Bardella to build a successful campaign. “The presidential campaign will be in full swing when [Bardella] joins the race,” the official said. But Bardella has a dilemma. While being thrust into the 2027 race without enough time to mount a proper campaign wouldn’t be ideal, if he tries to push Le Pen aside now — an extremely unlikely scenario at this stage — he risks creating a schism within his party when it has never looked stronger. THE MAN FOR THE MOMENT? For many, these concerns are surfacing only now. Bardella has long appeared to be the man the National Rally needed as a Le Pen successor. His rags-to-riches story of growing up in the impoverished suburbs north of Paris is tailor-made for politics. He has proven himself a savvy communicator with younger generations and has even become a TikTok phenomenon. He is unencumbered by family ties to party founder Jean-Marie Le Pen ― Marine’s father ― who was repeatedly convicted of hate speech and antisemitism. Marine Le Pen has conspicuously declined to endorse a possible Bardella candidacy. | Alain Jocard/Getty Images He has also proved his worth on the campaign trail, taking the National Rally to new heights during the European election and in the French parliamentary vote last year. The problem is that Le Pen has made it clear she has no intention of stepping aside, coming out with guns blazing following the Monday verdict. She called the court’s decision a “nuclear bomb” detonated by a corrupt system and meant to stop her march to the Elysée. Publicly she has refused to contemplate handing the baton to Bardella, whom she described as “a formidable asset” she hoped the National Rally wouldn’t have to use. Rivals from other parties, such as Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin and far-right firebrand Eric Zemmour, may be better placed to ride the conservative wave sweeping France and Europe. The 2027 presidential campaign could end up being little more than a learning experience for Bardella. If he flops hard, he might be remembered like a child star whose career flames out early. “He would be in a better position as the second-in-command, by Le Pen’s side, learning how to run a presidential campaign, rather than as the frontman,” said Bruno Jeanbart, a pollster at OpinionWay. “It would have been better to be anointed later by [National Rally] voters, than earlier by the courts.”