“Newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, had a whole lot of ground to cover Monday: Between the long-standing conflict in eastern Ukraine, the six-year-old civil war in Syria and their own countries' tattered ties, the Russian president's stop at the Palace of Versailles promised plenty of difficult topics for conversation.”
Following their meeting, Macron and Putin expressed optimism that their two countries could work together on a list of issues and disagreements, signaling a new beginning in Russian-French relations.
Robert Reich posted on Facebook,
“Macron’s invitation to Putin was a surprise after his tough stance on Russia during the French election. But, hey, if Trump is going to shaft Europe, Europe has to seek friends wherever it can.
“Trump's ‘making America great again’ apparently means making Russia more influential again.”
Maybe so, Mr. Reich, but as Macron told reporters on Saturday at the G-7 summit, "It's indispensable to talk to Russia because there are a number of international subjects that will not be resolved without a tough dialogue with them."
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| Stephane de Sakutin/AP |
By Colin Dwyer
