Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin spoke for more than five hours this Monday in the Kremlin.
On the menu for discussion: the Ukrainian crisis, NATO and Europe.
Here are five takeaways from that meeting.
Macron and “the specter of confrontation in Europe”
As Russian troops gather on Ukraine's borders, the French president called for peace to be preserved.
“We cannot run the risk of seeing the specter of confrontation, instability and disorder return to Europe,” he said.
Words very close to those he had spoken earlier in the day, even before arriving at the Kremlin.
His objective, he said then: to outline a way out of the crisis, "to initiate a de-escalation" to "avoid war" and "to build the elements of confidence, stability, visibility for everyone".
"120,000 Russian soldiers, it makes you nervous"
The French president also took advantage of his speaking time to praise the coolness of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"He is the president of a country surrounded by 120,000 Russian soldiers, it makes me nervous, dare I say," he quipped, as Moscow recently announced that it had sent soldiers to Belarus, an ally of Russia and border with Ukraine.
Emmanuel Macron must now meet his Ukrainian counterpart in Kiev.
“We must never compromise on the Ukrainian question without the Ukrainians,” reassured the head of state, while the Ukrainians feared being pushed by the West to make concessions to Putin.
"You won't even have time to react", warns Putin
The master of the Kremlin, he has not always adopted a tone as soothing as Emmanuel Macron.
In particular, he expressed his concern about a possible enlargement of NATO and Ukraine's accession to the Western military alliance.
“If Ukraine becomes a member of NATO, European countries will be drawn into a conflict with Russia.
You won't even have time to react,” he warned.
Putin therefore makes NATO's commitment to stop any enlargement to the East a condition for appeasement.
"To say that Russia is behaving aggressively is illogical," he said, "we are not the ones heading towards NATO borders."
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“Whoever believes in Europe must work with Russia”
Emmanuel Macron, however, reaffirmed his desire to work in collaboration with Russia to try to reduce tension on the Ukrainian borders.
“Russia is European”, assured Emmanuel Macron.
“Whoever believes in Europe must work with Russia.
Is it easy?
No.
But was Europe built on easy things?
No.
Does the task smack of ingratitude?
Yes.
Should we give up?
No, ”said the French president in front of Vladimir Putin.
“Some of his ideas are possible”
Showing himself sometimes threatening, Vladimir Putin all the same hinted at the start of negotiations.
“Some of his ideas, his proposals (…) are possible to lay the foundations for common progress,” he said, referring to his French counterpart.
The strongman of the Kremlin also welcomed the "efforts" of Paris to "solve the problem of security in Europe".
A message on which France now intends to capitalize.
"President Putin has assured me of his readiness to commit to this logic and of his desire to maintain the stability and territorial integrity of Ukraine", underlined Emmanuel Macron.
