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Hollande plans to discuss Aleppo crisis during talks with Putin in Paris

Putin and Hollande will discuss the situation in Syria and in Ukraine during talks on October 19 in Paris, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said

PARIS, October 10. /TASS/. French President Francois Hollande told the TMC television channel that he plans to discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin the situation in Aleppo.

Putin and Hollande will discuss the situation in Syria and in Ukraine during talks on October 19 in Paris, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said last week.

"I am asking myself: will the meeting be useful?" Hollande said. 

Meanwhile the Russian side continues preparations for the visit of President Vladimir Putin to Paris on October 19 during which the talks with French President Francois Hollande will be held, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: 

"The preparations for the upcoming Putin’s visit to Paris continue, and the talks in the Elysee Palace are scheduled," Peskov said, adding that Putin will also take part in the opening of an Orthodox center.

"We have no other information from our French colleagues, we judge from this," Peskov said.

Russia’s operation against the terrorist organizations Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra (now called Jabhat Fath al-Sham) in Syria started September 30, 2015 on a request from Syrian President Bashar Assad. With support from Russia’s aircraft, the Syrian government forces recaptured about 400 inhabited localities.

Serious damage was inflicted upon illegal oil trade; the key routes of delivery of weapons and ammunition to militants were blocked.

On March 14, 2016 Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to withdraw the main part of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ air group from Syria. Two Russian military facilities - at the Hmeymim airfield and in Tartus keep operating on Syrian territory.