The two leaders also “discussed the next steps in the organisation of a peace summit,” Macron’s office said in a statement.

Zelensky in December proposed a global summit to chart a path to peace in Ukraine, however no details emerged from the call on what is planned.

“I had almost an hour and a half conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron… The results of President Macron’s recent visit to China were discussed,” Zelensky said on social media.

Macron, who visited China last week, raised hackles on both sides of the Atlantic last weekend in an interview in which he said Europe should not be a “follower” of either Washington or Beijing or get caught up in any escalation over Taiwan.

The French president stood by his controversial comments on Wednesday on a visit to Amsterdam, saying that being a US ally did not mean being a “vassal”.

Macron’s visit to China was dominated by discussions on the war in Ukraine, with  Beijing being a close partner of Moscow.

Zelensky said he had expressed gratitude to his French counterpart for “condemning the terrible and inhumane execution of a Ukrainian soldier by Russian war criminals”.

That comment referred to the emergence of a video apparently showing the beheading of a Ukrainian prisoner, which has prompted international outrage.

Russian authorities said Thursday they were examining the images to determine their authenticity.

On Saturday Macron reaffirmed that “France stands by the Ukrainian and international courts to ensure that no crime committed in the context of Russian aggression goes unpunished,” according to the Elysee.