Emmanuel Macron said, after the talks with Vladimir Putin, that he believes they can work together on Syria and he wants to forge a partnership against the IS group
French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin give a joint press conference at the Chateau de Versailles in France on 29 May. Photo: Philippe Wojazer/Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected allegations on Monday that Moscow meddled in France’s presidential election.
Speaking after talks on Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron, Putin said Moscow didn’t try to influence the French vote.
But he also defended his March meeting with Macron’s rival in the presidential race, far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Putin described Le Pen as a politician who wants to develop friendly ties with Russia.
Putin says it would be strange if Russia rebuffed overtures from European politicians who want to strengthen relations. He says the meeting with Le Pen didn’t represent an attempt to sway the race.
Putin added that Russia had been well-aware of opinion polls predicting Macron’s victory.
Macron said after the talks with Putin that he believes they can work together on Syria and that he wants to forge a reinforced partnership against the Islamic State group.
Macron said he wants a democratic transition in Syria, but not at the cost of the war-torn country becoming a failed state.
After talks with Putin at the Palace of Versailles that ran far longer than planned on Monday, Macron said the use of chemical weapons in Syria was a “red line” for France.
He said that any use of such weapons in Syria would lead to “reprisals” from France — without specifying exactly what form they would take. Macron said he also spoke to Putin about LGBT rights in Chechnya and about NGOs in Russia./
He vowed to be “constantly vigilant on these issues.”
