Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on the statement by French colleague Anne-Claire Legendre that French President Emmanuel Macron is calling Russian leader Vladimir Putin “basically at the request of President [Ukraine] Vladimir Zelensky.”

The diplomat published in her Telegram channel a video with the famous miniature of the clown Vyacheslav Polunin "Telephone", which was popularly called "Asisyai". The number was shown on screens in 1981. In the skit, the artist depicts two people talking on the phone - a woman and a man. The man calls and is silent, and the woman, realizing that her lover is calling, coyly answers: “Asisyai” (a distorted “answer”).

“Drama in French,” Zakharova mocked.

Earlier, in an interview with RTVI, Legendre said that Macron calls Vladimir Putin “basically at the request of [Ukraine] President Volodymyr Zelensky and always in coordination with our allies to maintain a channel for dialogue.” It was at the request of the Ukrainian side that Macron discussed with Putin the situation at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant in Energodar, she said.