French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday did not rule out the possibility of talks with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, if they meet or the context arises, AFP reports. This comes after Macron wanted to attend the BRICS summit in South Africa in August, but Russia was less than happy with the idea.

“Of course, I will answer,” Macron assured when asked what he would do if Putin called him tomorrow.

“If they call me to propose something, I will answer because France has always been a facilitating and mediating force.”

However, Macron objected, saying that “the resumption of dialogue is only possible if international law is respected, which is the only thing that allows us to live in peace.”

Macron also said that he himself “has no reason to call today” Vladimir Putin against the background of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. “I hope that the time will come for negotiations on Ukraine’s terms.”

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna told a press conference in South Africa during an official visit that Emmanuel Macron would like to receive an invitation to the BRICS summit in August.

Russia “did not accept” this idea.

French President Emmanuel Macron would be an inappropriate guest at the next BRICS summit, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Thursday as he again criticized countries Russia considers hostile.

“It is obvious that the leaders of the states who follow such a hostile and unacceptable policy towards us, who discuss with such emphasis and conviction that Russia should be isolated on the international arena, and who share the NATO line on the task of our strategic defeat, are such a leader. would be an inappropriate guest at BRICS.”

“And we do not hide our approach, we talked about it to our colleagues in South Africa. We expect that our point of view will be accepted in full,” Deputy Serhiy Lavrova also said.