Moscow - The presidents of France and Russia telephoned Saturday in preparation for the resumption of talks about closer ties between Russia and the European Union, the Interfax news agency reported Saturday.

The EU suspended those talks on a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement after Russia's war with Georgia this summer.

But officials from France, which currently holds the rotating EU presidency, have given signs that the talks are set to resume and that a timetable for further talks could be laid out at a November 14 meeting in Nice.

According to Interfax, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev telephoned to discuss preparations for the summit. Details of the call were not released.

The move could still run into trouble from some heads of EU countries who say they are not prepared to rush back to the negotiating table with Russia. (dpa)