MOSCOW, February 11. /TASS/. Moscow and Paris have restored technical contacts that could pave the way for potential Putin-Macron talks; Russian officials criticized the United States for refusing to uphold New START nuclear arms limits after the treaty’s expiration; and the EU is considering transferring frozen Russian assets from Belgium’s Euroclear to a new structure in an effort tomitigate legal risks. These stories topped Wednesday’s newspaper headlines across Russia.
The Kremlin and the Elysee Palace have restored technical contacts that would enable high-level talks to be organized promptly. A conversation between Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin would send a positive signal in the broader context of dialogue with the European Union, but meaningful progress would require thorough preparation, members of the Federation Council told Izvestia. Experts believe that the primary subjects of any such dialogue could include the Ukrainian conflict, sanctions, and developments in Africa and the Middle East. At present, technical contacts also exist between Russia and Germany, a European source told Izvestia. Yet Europe will not be able to sit down at the negotiating table on Ukraine in Abu Dhabi without reconsidering its current position.
