Media: French President Macron accepted Putin’s invitation to visit Russia in May 2018
French President Emmanuel Macron is ready to accept an invitation from Russian President Vladimir Putin to visit an economic forum in St. Petersburg in May 2018, as reported by Kommersant, citing diplomatic sources in Paris. Should this occur, Macron will become the main guest at the forum.
According to the newspaper’s sources, the decision has been made, but it was decided not to announce it officially yet. "The reason is purely formal, but quite respectful. Presidential elections in Russia will take place in March, and although we foresee their outcome, it would not be entirely correct to accept the invitation of the not yet reelected Vladimir Putin," the source explained.
According to the publication, Macron received the invitation to visit Russia during negotiations with Putin in Versailles in May 2017. In the course of working out the details, it was decided that a trip in early 2018 would be unreasonable, since it would fall during a holiday. In the end, it was decided that the visit would take place in May and include a visit to the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), the sources of the newspaper specified.
In 2018 the SPIEF will be held from the 24th until the 26th of May.