French President Emmanuelle Macron intends to firmly defend the interests of the Fifth Republic at the upcoming May 29 meeting in Versailles with Russian leader Vladimir Putin. This Friday, May 26, said the official representative of the French government Christophe Kastaner.

"To conduct a dialogue is not to look at. I can assure that Macron will firmly defend the interests of France, "said the Secretary of State for Relations with Parliament on the radio station France Info. According to Castaner, the opening of the exhibition in Versailles on Monday is "a good occasion for the meeting" of the leaders of the two countries.

Recall, while still a candidate for the presidency of the Fifth Republic, Macron stated that if he becomes head of state, he can "make Putin" respect him, because "he does not owe him anything". "There is no reason to depend on Russia, to succumb to its charms or to allow it to act contrary to international law," RT quoted in April 2017. Frenchman.

Earlier, the Elysee Palace announced that Makron would receive Putin in Versailles on May 29 and this meeting was timed to the opening in the royal palace of a large exhibition dedicated to the first visit to France of the Russian Tsar Peter I, which took place in 1717. The exhibition was prepared by the French side in conjunction with the St. Petersburg Museum Hermitage and marks the 300th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and Russia, noted in the Elysee Palace.

As it turned out today, Putin travels to Paris at the invitation of Makron himself, who in a telephone conversation with the president of the Russian Federation on May 18 "proposed jointly to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Peter I's trip and together visit this exhibition in Versailles". This was told on Friday by an assistant to the Russian leader Yuri Ushakov.

He noted that during the visit to the exhibition informal talks will take place in a rather narrow composition, in the format "one plus two", "which gives an opportunity to talk and feel each other better," Ushakov said.. Then the talks will continue in an expanded format, and then the leaders will give a press conference.

According to the assistant to Putin, the most important topic of the dialogue will be Syria.

He recalled that Paris is an irreconcilable opponent of President Bashar Assad, so a frank conversation should take place on the Syrian issue. Also in the plans of the talks the topic of joint struggle against international terrorism, cooperation between Russia and the European Union, the situation on the Korean peninsula and Ukraine, which "will occupy a large place, from the perspective of the functioning of the" Norman format ".

Ushakov stressed that this is purely an "informal meeting with a rather extensive agenda" and that no documents on the results of the visit are to be signed.