Russian President Vladimir Putin told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday that any attempt to interfere in the affairs of a sovereign country was
"unacceptable"
in their discussions on Belarus, the Kremlin said.
The
"principled position"
of Russia is that
"all attempts of interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state and external pressure on the legitimate authorities are unacceptable"
, according to the Russian presidency.
The telephone conversation between MM.
Putin and Macron took place after the meeting in Vilnius between the French president and the leader of the Belarusian opposition, Svetlana Tikhanovskaïa.
However, the Kremlin statement made no mention of it.
Read also: Crisis in Belarus: Macron promises to do everything to unblock OSCE mediation
Belarus has seen weeks of protests since the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko, contested by the opposition.
Emmanuel Macron pursues a policy of dialogue with Russia, a position which has sometimes put him at odds with the allies of the European Union.
But he has recently changed this policy, thus approaching the harder line of Germany, in particular when the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the poisoning of the Russian opponent Alexeï Navalny as a
"criminal act"
.
On the Belarusian file, Emmanuel Macron has promised to help mediate the political crisis in Belarus.
"The objective is a peaceful transition, the release of those who remain in prison for their political opinions and the holding of elections in a free environment, under international surveillance"
, he said on Tuesday in Lithuania, after meeting Ms. Tikhanovskaya.
This is due to speak to French deputies on October 7.
To read also: Vilnius, rear base of the Belarusian opposition
The French president recently sought to clarify the purpose of the
“dialogue”
he wants the European Union to conduct with Moscow.
"This is what will allow us to build a
much more stable and protective
relationship
(with Russia)
," he said on Wednesday on a visit to Latvia.
Emmanuel Macron recalled that the relationship with Russia "has hardened, due to the Ukrainian conflict and the occupation of Ukraine".
"We have implemented sanctions that have had little effectiveness,"
he acknowledged.
But he wished for
"a form of normalization of our relations with Russia because we share the same space, because we want there to be no more cyberattacks, no more destabilization of our democracy and regional conflict resolution, Ukraine first and foremost ”
.