Chirac, left, and Blair

PARIS (CNN) -- French President Jacques Chirac and British Prime Minister Tony Blair agreed Saturday that Russia has to push ahead with free-market policies, Chirac's staff said after a telephone conversation between the two leaders.

Blair said earlier Saturday he would telephone leaders of the seven leading industrialized nations, known as the G-7, over the weekend to discuss the political and financial crisis in Russia.

However, White House officials said Saturday that Blair had called U.S. President Bill Clinton on Thursday as part of the prime minister's role as president of the G-7.

Blair, who will hold that position until the end of the year, is visiting Queen Elizabeth at Balmoral in Scotland.

The British prime minister spoke to Chirac on Saturday for about 15 minutes.

"Their exchange of views led them to believe it was essential that the reforms undertaken by the Russian president should be followed, and that given this, the actions of IMF director Michel Camdessus should be supported," Chirac's spokeswoman Catherine Colonna said.

The International Monetary Fund director said Friday that bailout funds for Russia were on hold and would be released only when the country showed it was pursuing market-oriented policies.

Camdessus worried that Russia would start printing money and place government controls on the economy.

Colonna said France was in contact with Germany and the European Union president over the situation in Russia.