Yet even after Britain accused Russia of orchestrating a nerve-gas attack on its soil - further souring EU-Russia ties - Macron has stressed that ostracising Moscow would not yield results.
"I felt the eagerness of this dynamic young and ambitious man to quickly find concrete solutions, but alas in life it is a little more complicated. The solution in Syria as in Ukraine depends not only on us or the French, but other actors," former Russian ambassador to France Alexander Orlov told Reuters.
"Nevertheless there is this positive approach on the part of President Macron ... and he is ready to cooperate with Russia to find solutions."
Few see any likelihood of a breakthrough on Ukraine. However, French diplomats hope the risk of a direct confrontation between Israel and Iran in Syria and the lack of a Syrian political transition process will encourage Putin to yield some ground.
But highlighting just how one-sided Macron's efforts have been, he sent at least two letters to Putin - one last summer and one at the end of the year - outlining concrete areas in which he believed Putin could pressure Assad to ease humanitarian access in the war-torn country.
Neither letter drew a response.
"Beyond France's prestige and commercial opportunities, an effective French diplomacy must ask what levers it can use vis-à-vis recalcitrant actors," said Jalel Harchaoui, a geopolitics researcher at Paris 8 University. "It seems this basic question is no longer being asked in Paris.
"When you conduct foreign policy without a carrot or a stick, that's what you get."
