French President Emmanuel Macron will speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, the French leader said Tuesday, vowing to “never give up dialogue with Russia”, - writes POLITICO.

Macron was speaking in Berlin alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who also called for continued talks with Moscow as fears grow that Russia is plotting an invasion of Ukraine after amassing over 100,000 troops at the border. The French president linked his call for dialogue to his pitch for a new European security proposal, which he unveiled last week as a potential longer-term negotiation channel to defuse tensions with Moscow.

“It is … necessary to continue a clear dialogue with Russia because this dialogue is necessary to eliminate any misunderstanding or ambiguity”, - Macron said, referring to his phone call with Putin on Friday.

Macron’s overtures to Putin come shortly after U.S. President Joe Biden held a phone call Monday night with numerous European leaders, including Macron, in an attempt to showcase the Western allies’ unity against Russia. After the call, however, an Elysée official noted Macron would make his own diplomatic entreaty to the Russian leader.

“The president will soon meet with Vladimir Putin to, in essence, offer him a path of de-escalation”, - the official said.