Johnson spoke to Macron after the French president called Putin.
A Downing Street spokesman said: “The Prime Minister indicated that President Putin’s commitment to President Macron is a welcome sign that he may still be willing to engage in a diplomatic solution.”
“The prime minister stressed that the voice of Ukraine must be central to any discussions,” the spokesman added.
The Kremlin said that Putin and Macron discussed in a telephone conversation on Sunday the need to intensify the search for diplomatic solutions to the escalating crisis in eastern Ukraine.