Putin and Macron discuss Ukraine in first phone call - Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni following their meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei state residence in Sochi, Russia, May 17, 2017. REUTERS/Yuri Kadobnov/Pool

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin and France's new President Emmanuel Macron held their first phone conversation and discussed possible further cooperation in resolving the Ukraine crisis, the Kremlin said in a statement on Thursday. They also expressed readiness to develop relations between Russia and France and spoke about a possibility of future contacts, according to the statement. (Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; writing by Maria Tsvetkova; editing by Ralph Boulton)