The Russian leadership is outraged over another leak to the French media of details of confidential conversation between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron, reports Kommersant newspaper, citing a diplomatic source in Moscow. The interlocutor of the newspaper stressed that the essence of the negotiations between the two leaders was distorted by the media. According to him, Moscow demanded an explanation from Paris, but the source did not specify in what form the explanation was expected, who was supposed to provide an answer and who made the claims.

Earlier, the French publication Challenges, citing a diplomatic source, reported that during a telephone conversation with Macron on November 7, Putin asked him for help in the production of Russian Sputnik V anti-Covid vaccine and asked to involve the Pasteur Institute to help solve the problem.

"For several weeks now, the Russians have been asking us if we are ready to work with them. This reflects their main weakness: the lack of production capacity," the publication quotes its source as saying.

The Kremlin's official statement about this telephone conversation says that it was devoted to a wide range of issues, especially the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, which began on September 27. Russia and France are co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group to resolve the conflict. In addition, the presidents discussed the implementation of the Minsk agreements on the conflict in the Donbass and the situation in Libya.

The Pasteur Institute was mentioned in the Russian report. "There has been interest in deepening cooperation to combat coronavirus infection, including establishing links between Russian specialized organizations and the Pasteur Institute in the development and production of vaccines," the Russian President's press service said at the time.

There is no information about these conversation on the website of the Elysee Palace.

  Moscow, Macron, Putin

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