Putin-Macron Phone Call... "US Concerns Over 'Killing of Iranian Commander'"

Discussion on the Situations in Syria and Libya, and the Ukraine Conflict

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] On the 3rd (local time), Russian President Vladimir Putin had a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron to discuss the Middle East crisis triggered by the killing of the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps by the United States.

The Kremlin stated in a press release that the call was made at the request of the French side, and "the two leaders expressed concern over the killing of Qasem Soleimani, commander of Iran's Quds Force, in the US airstrike on Baghdad Airport in Iraq."

The Kremlin added that during the call, the two leaders mentioned that such actions by the US could seriously worsen the situation in the Middle East.

However, they did not mention any discussions on how to respond to the worsening Middle East situation caused by this incident. They also discussed the situations in Syria and Libya, as well as the Ukraine conflict.