French President Emmanuel Macron, in a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, urged him to cool tensions with Ukraine, and expressed "grave concern" about the health of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, France 24 said, citing Macron's office.

"Macron also urged Putin 'to commit in good faith and in a sustainable way toward reducing tensions with Ukraine,' notably by withdrawing troops and heavy weapons from the Ukrainian border," France 24 said in the statement.

In addition, the French president, in a conversation with Putin, insisted on the need to respect Navalny's "fundamental rights."