Moscow, July 2 -- Russian President Vladimir Putin held a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, marking their first direct contact since September 2022, RT reported, citing the Kremlin press service.

The call focused on the situation in the Middle East and the ongoing Ukraine conflict. According to RT, Putin told Macron that the Ukraine conflict was "a direct consequence of the policies pursued by Western states, which for many years ignored Russia's security interests," and had created an "anti-Russian bridgehead" in Ukraine. He reiterated that any settlement must "be comprehensive and long-term, address the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis and be based on new territorial realities."

The leaders also discusse...