PARIS, March 8 (TASS) - French President Emmanuel Macron has said at his reelection campaign event that Russia and its people need to be treated with respect.

"It’s necessary to continue dialogue with leaders even when stating differences because eventually there will be a return to the negotiating table," he said at a meeting with voters in the Poissy commune of Paris. "Russia and the Russian people always need to be treated with respect."

He also urged to "do everything to prevent escalation and expansion of hostilities" in Ukraine.

"It is impossible to build a lasting peace if Russia doesn’t participate in building a comprehensive security architecture on our continent, because history and geography mandate this," the French president said. "Our responsibility is to preserve all the ties that we can preserve."

"We must continue to talk with the Russian and Belarusian peoples," he went on to say. "We need to do this with help from representatives of the world of culture, the scientific and technical community, non-governmental organizations."

French presidential elections are scheduled for April 10 and 24. Along with Macron, 11 more candidates are in the running.