Franco-Russian relations: What lies ahead?

Franco-Russian relations throughout history have been characterized by ups and downs. Twice in history, our countries were allies – during the First and Second World Wars. At other times, the relationship between them was clouded by tensions and wars. Despite the periodic cooling, the cultural dialogue remained constant. This logic has been preserved in our time. The rapprochement between France and Russia during the rule of J. Chirac was quite unexpected. «Atlantist» N. Sarkozy, who was viewed in the Russian Federation as an adversary, took an active part in resolving the Russian-Georgian conflict, and his Prime Minister F. Fillon was even called a «friend» of V.V. Putin. The presidency of N. Sarkozy ended with the signing of an agreement on the deal of the French aircraft carriers Mistral to Russia. In the presidential campaign of E. Macron, Russia did not occupy an important place. Despite this, V.V. Putin became one of the first heads of state who paid an official visit to France immediately after the election of E. Macron. There are constant contacts between the leaders of the two countries. There is cooperation between the countries in the field of security and the fight against terrorism; there are economic relations; cultural dialogue is developing. However, there are no major breakthroughs and most likely they should not be expected in the near future. In an interview with the director of the French-Russian analytical center «Observo» Arnaud Dubien given to N.Yu. Lapina, the specifics of relations between the two countries and the difficulties that arise along the way are analyzed.