For the Elysee, the meeting between Macron and Putin Sunday arrives "at the right time"

Diplomatic bonus of the victories of the Blues at the World Cup, the meeting between Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin Sunday, on the eve of the Trump-Putin summit, arrives "at the right time," said Saturday the Elysee. "This meeting takes place in an important context, after the NATO summit and before the meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, which will allow to follow the very long and positive meeting of the French and Russian Presidents in Saint Petersburg, on bilateral cooperation and major international issues, especially Syria and Iran, despite our differences ", according to the Elysée

Discussions on the political settlement of the conflict in Syria. The two leaders had agreed to see each other when they met for the semi-final of the Blues Tuesday. One of the main topics will be the political settlement of the conflict in Syria, where France has set up a mechanism for consultation with Russia, in an attempt to bring together Russian-Turkish initiatives and those of Westerners. "This mechanism, we make it work and it allows to build convergences, in particular on the humanitarian aspect", underline the advisers of the presidency.

Trump wishes "to establish a contact with the Russian president". France is trying to reconcile the positions between the group of Astana (Russia, Iran, Turkey) and the "small group" on Syria (United Kingdom, Germany, United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt). As for the Trump-Putin meeting scheduled for Monday in Helsinki, it is "normal" and could help advance disarmament efforts, said France. It reflects Donald Trump's wish to "establish contact with the Russian president", despite the US investigation into possible Kremlin interference in the 2016 US presidential election.

An investigation into suspicions of Russian interference in the American presidential election. The US president must also count with European allies "obviously very worried about the Russian attitude" after the case of the former spy Skripal and the annexation of Crimea, warns Paris. On Friday prosecutor Robert Mueller indicted 12 Russian intelligence agents accused of hacking the computers of the Democratic Party. The investigation also investigates suspicions of cooperation between Moscow and Donald Trump's team.