France, Germany call for closer Russia ties

France and Germany want the European Union to improve its ties with Russia.

The Financial Times said the nations decided Brussels would benefit from a "closer engagement" with Moscow following the recent summit between US President Joe Biden and Russia's leader, Vladimir Putin, in Geneva, Switzerland, where the nations said they vented on some issues and agreed on others.

The paper quoted unnamed diplomats as saying Angela Merkel, Germany's chancellor, believes the closer engagement with Moscow should include the EU inviting Putin to a summit with EU leaders. The FT said Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, supports Merkel's idea.

Ambassadors from France and Germany reportedly detailed the benefits of closer ties with Russia on Wednesday and the subject will be discussed at the next EU leaders summit. Initial talks involving officials from the EU and Russia are thought to have already taken place.

Merkel seemed to sum up her philosophy before a meeting on Wednesday with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. "However much we argue, we must keep the channels of communication open, so as to be able to clearly express our positions and interests and then look to see if any solutions can be found," she told reporters.

The Reuters news agency quoted an unnamed senior EU diplomat as saying: "We need to have a discussion about how to get away from this negative spiral … but we need to advance united."

The EU has not had a summit with Putin since 2014, when they were canceled in response to Russia's annexation of the Ukraine-governed Crimea.

Some EU members that share borders with Russia, including some Baltic states and Poland, are known to want the EU to take a hard line with the Kremlin and are thought to be uninterested in resurrecting summits with Moscow.

But the proposal from France and Germany says the bloc and the nation would benefit from talking about climate change, health issues, the Arctic, cross-border cooperation, space exploration, the fight against terrorism, and foreign policy issues, such as the situations in Syria and Iran.

"In this regard, the European Council calls for a review of the existing format of dialogue with Russia, including meetings at leaders' level," the proposed draft reportedly says.

The Kremlin said in a statement that Putin and Merkel talked on the phone on Wednesday, to mark the 80th anniversary of Adolf Hitler's Germany invading the Soviet Union.

The statement said good ties between the nations are now of vital importance to the future of post-war Europe.

"The parties agreed on further personal contacts," the Kremlin added.

The Guardian newspaper said the bloc wants to "reset" its relations with Russia, with Brussels able to criticize Russia directly when necessary but also have "the door open to compromise and cooperation".