FORT DE BREGANCON /France/, August 19. /TASS/. Russia plays an extremely important role in settling global crises, French President Emmanuel Macron told journalists before the start of his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday.
"All the major crises in the world will be in the focus of our discussion with the Russian president. This is both because France is holding preparations for a summit of the G7 Group, in which it is presiding over, and because Russia plays a key role in settling crises," the French president said.
"This is why I want to exchange opinions with Russian President Vladimir Putin on all these issues," Macron said.
Today the world is "living through a truly historical phase because the principle of multilateralism is subjected to attacks," the French president said. "And we need to think about how to transform this world order. I am deeply convinced in that. That is, we need to work out new forms of relations and useful actions. This is what will be in the focus of discussions at the G7 Group summit and in the center of our today’s negotiations," Macron said.
"In this sense, the relations between France and Russia, Russia and the European Union are of crucially decisive nature. I stressed this repeatedly," the French president said.
Macron noted he knew what could divide Russia and the West over the past few decades. "I am also aware of those talks that are underway [in Russia as regards its] relations with the West. But I also know another thing: Russia is a deeply European country. We believe in this Europe, which extends from Lisbon to Vladivostok," Macron said.
"We need to work out [together] a new architecture of security and trust between Russia and the European Union. France will have to play its role in this process. And it will play it," the French leader stressed.