Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron have spoken in a phone call after a period of silence between the two leaders stretching almost three years, in a move that may mark a shift in a famously fraught relationship.

The Kremlin said on Wednesday that it was France that asked for French President Emmanuel Macron to speak by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin after a pause of nearly three years and that the two leaders had a "very substantive" discussion.

The Kremlin said the conversation was “substantial” and included topics like Iran’s nuclear programme and the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.