"The president of the republic spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin this morning within the framework of their regular dialogue on Syria. The president of the republic expressed his deep concern over the deterioration of the situation on the ground," the statement read.
According to the document, Macron "expressed his desire for Russia-France consultations to continue and to strengthen in order to achieve peace and stability in Syria."
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to Sputnik that the leaders had a conversation about Syria.
READ MORE: France Will Do All It Can With Russia to Achieve Syria Truce — Macron
"Yes, the conversation took place," Peskov said.
Recently, the French president announced that he would make a decision on whether or not to strike Syria 'when the time comes', adding that he would make a decision on whether to airstrike Syria after the needed verifications were carried out.
On April 7, several Syrian opposition news portals reported that the Syrian government forces used chlorine in the city of Douma that killed up to 70 people. The attack was promptly blamed on the Syrian government forces by the US and its allies.
Damascus denied that it used chemical weapons, saying the alleged attack was staged by the terror group Jaish al-Islam to serve as a pretext for possible external intervention in Syria.
A similar position has been voiced by Moscow, who sent experts from the Russian Reconciliation Center to the site of an alleged chemical attack in Douma shortly after the reports emerged. The results of their soil probe showed no evidence of a nerve agent or any other harmful substance.
