French President Macron to visit Russia
French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Russia in late May, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in an interview with French television channel BFMTV, Deutsche Welle reports.
A joint military operation of the United States, Great Britain and France conducted in Syria on Saturday night would not interfere with the planned trip, the minister said. Earlier, Macron received an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, which will open on May 24. In 2018, the forum will be held under the motto "Creating the economy of trust."
The only meeting between Macron and Putin took place in May 2017 in Paris. Then, the French leader met the leader of the Kremlin on the red carpet at the entrance to the palace, after which the presidents left for one-on-one talks.
Earlier, Macron and Putin had a telephone conversation, during which they exchanged views on the Syria issues. Macron expressed regret that Russia vetoed the US resolution to investigate a possible chemical attack in the Syrian city of Douma. The French president also announced his intention to continue close cooperation with the Kremlin in order to "restore peace and stability in Syria."
The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a report on the use of chemical weapons on April 7th by the Kremlin-backed Assad regime that resulted in the death of more than 75 people.