New Delhi: In a significant diplomatic outreach, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron held a substantive telephone conversation today, reaffirming their commitment to resolving the Ukraine conflict and bolstering the longstanding Indo-French Strategic Partnership.

The two leaders “reviewed and positively assessed the progress in bilateral cooperation in various areas,” Prime Minister Modi posted on X. The dialogue encompassed international and regional issues, with a central emphasis on mutual efforts to ensure an early end to hostilities in Ukraine, reflecting both countries’ shared dedication to global peace and stability.

A statement from the Prime Minister’s Office detailed that the conversation touched upon key sectors, including economic, defence, science, technology, and space. Modi and Macron reaffirmed their commitment to the India–France Strategic Partnership, aligning their goals with the Horizon 2047 Roadmap, the Indo-Pacific Roadmap, and the Defence Industrial Roadmap.

Further, Prime Minister Modi expressed his anticipation of welcoming President Macron to India for the upcoming AI Impact Summit in February 2026, underlining their collaborative engagement on digital innovation and emerging technologies

Today’s call was the second such conversation within a month. Earlier, on August 21, 2025, President Macron had shared his assessment of recent high-level discussions in Washington involving European and U.S. leaders on Ukraine. Both leaders had agreed on enhancing economic exchanges and advancing strategic cooperation, including marking 2026 as the “Year of Innovation” in bilateral ties.

Notably, the timing of this call came just hours after US President Donald Trump extended a gesture of goodwill towards India, describing the India–U.S. relationship as “very special”

India’s diplomatic balancing is evident: while maintaining strong ties with Russia—Modi recently reaffirmed India’s support for a peaceful resolution during a call with President Zelenskiy on August 30—India is also actively engaging European leaders like Macron, positioning New Delhi as an increasingly trusted channel for peace negotiations.