French, Belarusian presidents discuss regional issues, EU-Belarus ties

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko and French President Emmanuel Macron held a telephone conversation on Sunday, discussing regional issues and the EU-Belarus ties.

According to a statement by the Belarusian presidential press service, the phone call took place at the initiative of the French side.

"The two leaders discussed regional issues as well as relations between Belarus and the European Union, including bilateral ties between Minsk and Paris," it said.

The conversation marked the first publicly known contact between Lukashenko and Macron since Feb. 26, 2022, shortly after the start of the conflict in Ukraine.

Neither side immediately released further details of the discussion.