04 June, 2017
On Wednesday, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov said that following the talks between Putin and Macron, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the possibility of holding a meeting to address, among others, such issues as terrorism and the Syrian crisis.
Putin flew to France to hold talks with Macron on Monday.
"Russia Today and Sputnik were organs of influence and propaganda that spread counterfeit truths about me", he replied, referring to the Russian TV network and news agency. Included among them were a discussion of anti-terror efforts in addition to the use of chemical weapons in Syria.
Macron said yesterday that the use of chemical weapons in Syria constituted a "red line" for France and "would result in reprisals and an immediate response, at least where France is concerned". The Russian government has repeatedly denied it sought to influence the outcome of the French election, even though Putin met with Le Pen at the Kremlin on March 24.
Apart from working together on the settlement of worldwide crises, France and Russian Federation share a wide range of fields, in which cooperation could be mutually beneficial, including the food industry, space, defense and energy sector, Schaffhauser noted.
The vast and sumptuous room at the Palace of Versailles, which has been chosen by France to host President Emmanuel Macron's press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin, celebrates 14 centuries of French military successes.
The secretary-general of Le Pen's far-right National Front party, Nicolas Bay, said later that "of course" Le Pen's contacts with Russian Federation continue and "there is no reason these contacts wouldn't continue long-term".
Now, 300 years later, Macron will guide Putin through a new exhibition commemorating the historic diplomatic moment.
Chechnya came back into the global media spotlight in April, when Russia's Novaya Gazeta newspaper published a report alleging that Chechen authorities had launched a crackdown on the local gay community, arresting over a hundred suspected homosexuals. Before the leaders' meeting, protestors stood in front of the Eiffel Tower with a sign written in French that translated to: "Stop homophobia in Chechnya". "I told President Putin what France is expecting regarding this issue, and we agreed to regularly check on this subject".
According to Macron, Putin said during their meeting on Monday that the Russian government has begun "initiatives" responding to the reports out of Chechnya.
Mr. Macron's invitation for his Russian counterpart was a surprise after his tough stance on Russia during the French election.
Macron isn't the first world leader to urge Putin to take action on the risky situation in Chechnya.
