French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Thursday, "I don’t see any signs indicating a real and long-term change in Russia’s position."

In an interview with Le Figaro newspaper, he added that "even though its troops are moving slower than the Kremlin expected, I don’t currently see any significant retreat or ceasefire."

"The so-called regime of silence that Russia announced for a few hours in Mariupol yesterday was clearly not enough," he stressed.

Commenting on whether Macron should maintain dialogue with Putin, the top French diplomat tersely stated "yes, because we need to show persistence and determination to create ties that would one day help build dialogue between Putin and [Ukrainian President] Zelensky." 

However, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has affirmed on Thursday that the positions of Russia and Ukraine have come a little closer, stressing that his country had been approached to serve as a guarantor of a potential peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine.

This week, the parties met again in Istanbul, Turkey, to discuss ending the war in Ukraine.