Russian President Vladimir Putin told France's President-elect Emmanuel Macron on Monday he wanted to put mistrust aside and work with him, in a change of tack after the Kremlin expressed support for Macron's rivals in the presidential race.

"The citizens of France have trusted you with leading the country at a difficult time for Europe and the whole world community," Putin told Macron, whose staff had accused Russia during the campaign of trying to damage their candidate.

The Kremlin said Putin told Macron in a congratulatory telegram: "The growth in threats of terrorism and militant extremism is accompanied by an escalation of local conflicts and the destabilization of whole regions.