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Putin arrives in France for first meeting with Macron

Last time Putin visited France in November 2015

© AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, pool

VERSAILLES, May 29. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has arrived in France to hold his first meeting with new French President Emmanuel Macron in the Palace of Versailles.

The Russian and French leaders will also attend a large exhibition in the Royal Palace devoted to the 300th anniversary of Russian Tsar Peter the Great’s first trip to France. At the conclusion of his visit, Putin will leave Versailles for Paris to attend the Russian Cultural and Spiritual Center opened in October last year.

The agenda of the upcoming talks in the Palace of Versailles covers a wide range of issues: from the intensification of Russian-French political, economic and cultural cooperation to the discussion of the situation in Ukraine, Syria and Libya and on the Korean peninsula.

Read also

War on terror to top Putin-Macron talks agenda — Kremlin

As Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told journalists, the French president proposed to his Russian counterpart to jointly visit the exhibition in Versailles and "hold informal talks in quite a narrow format" during their first telephone talk on May 18.

"We supported this idea and believe that the visit to Versailles offers a possibility for a sincere and trustworthy exchange of opinions on a wide range of issues," Ushakov said.

The talks between Putin and Macron will first be held in a narrow format and then in the format of a working breakfast. A joint press conference by both leaders is planned after the talks.

As the Kremlin aide said, during their visit to the exhibition in Versailles, both leaders will "continue their discussion." No documents are being prepared for signing today as "the presidents simply want to get acquainted and know each other better and agree on further contacts," the Kremlin aide said.

Read also

French minister comments on Macron-Putin talks

Last time Putin visited France in late November 2015 to take part in the international conference on climate change in Paris. Two months before that, the Russian president took part in a meeting of the Normandy format leaders in the French capital.

In October 2016, there were plans for the Russian leader to visit Paris to open jointly with then-French President Francois Hollande the Russian Spiritual and Cultural Center on the Branly embankment and the exhibition of masterpieces from a collection of philanthropist Sergei Shchukin at the Louis Vuitton Foundation. However, the trip was cancelled by the Kremlin as the French side refused at the very last moment to participate in these events at the highest level (amid contradictions over Syria).

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Foreign policy Vladimir Putin

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Western countries should 'be afraid, tremble' after Putin's statement — lawmaker

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Zelensky shook up by Russia’s response to permission to attack it — Lavrov

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The former Austrian foreign minister stressed that she "counted on rational Western decision-makers, but irrationality is unfortunately on the rise among them"

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Russia forced to roll out new weapons as West fuels conflict, Minsk says

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Alexander Lukashenko also emphasized that a real information war has been underway for a long time

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Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a televised address to the nation on November 21, announcing that in response to the West’s decision to authorize strategic-depth strikes on Russia, Moscow used its new Oreshnik medium-range hypersonic ballistic missile for the first time

Russian military to warn Ukrainian civilians of future Oreshnik attacks — Kremlin

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US administration chooses to escalate Ukraine conflict — Kremlin

Earlier, Putin stressed that the Ukrainian army is unable to fire the latest Western-made long-range missiles on its own without support from NATO satellite feeds and the involvement of the bloc’s military

NATO enters conflict, Russia has every right to attack its targets now — expert

Col. (Ret.) Lawrence Wilkerson confirmed to TASS that the launch of ATACMS missiles would be impossible without "US/NATO satellite feeds and/or personnel"

Biden’s actions on Ukraine meant to 'muck things up' for Trump — Lavrov

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Lukashenko tells Putin situation is "starting to get tense with Wagner"

The Belarusian leader noted that they want to go to Warsaw

Captives, Ukrainian losses: situation in Kursk Region

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Russia’s re-election to UNCITRAL confirms its global reputation — Foreign Ministry

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Press review: US lets Kiev use anti-personnel mines and Iran may halt uranium enrichment

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Signal to West and 'red card': experts weigh in on Putin’s missile launch statements

The important message in Vladimir Putin’s speech was that "Russia does believe that the West has shifted from a proxy-war to direct war" and that the parties find themselves in "a global conflict" now, Dmitry Suslov said

Putin's speech shows West that Russia won’t waver, is ready for any scenario — expert

Dmitry Suslov pointed to a crucial message in the President's speech: "Russia firmly believes that the West has moved from a proxy war to a direct war" and that the sides are already "in a state of global conflict"

Western nations should take Putin's statement seriously, warns Hungarian PM

Viktor Orban recalled that Russia has "one of the most powerful armies in the world, which boasts the most advanced, most powerful weapons"

Russia not obliged to notify anyone about launch of intermediate-range missile — Kremlin

"No, there have been no notifications, for Russia has no such obligation with regard to intermediate-range missiles," Dmitry Peskov emphasized

US-led coalition aircraft violate Syrian airspace ten times in past day

Apart from that, one violation of the deconfliction protocols of December 9, 2019 linked with the flights by the US-led coalition unmanned aerial vehicles was reported

Trump to name investor Bessent as Treasury Secretary

Janet Yellen currently holds the position

Good relations between Moscow, Riyadh helping oil market stability — Medvedev

"Our friends are living in the Arab world," the politician noted

Turkey’s desire to be gas hub important for energy security — Russian official

Russia will continue developing pipe gas supplies and will "continue supplying competitive energy resources to partners and the whole world," Pavel Sorokin noted

West beginning to realize only part of Ukraine will remain — Lavrov

According to the Russian foreign minister, this represents the "confrontational logic" of the West