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Putin cancels visit to France: Kremlin
October 12, 2016, 8:09 am

Putin was last in Paris in December 2015 to meet with Hollande over means to reach a climate control agreement [Xinhua]

Putin was last in Paris in December 2015 to meet with Hollande over means to reach a climate control agreement [Xinhua]


Russian President Vladimir Putin has canceled a planned visit to France after President Francois Hollande shortened the program for the trip and said he would only hold talks on Syria.

Putin was set to inaugurate a new Russian Orthodox cathedral and visit a Russian art exhibition in Paris on October 19, but the Kremlin confirmed that the visit has now been postponed.

“Unfortunately, those events were struck off the program, so the president decided to cancel his visit to France for now,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

This comes amid heightened tensions between Russia and France over Moscow’s veto of a French UN Security Council draft resolution on Syria.

“I made it known to Mr Putin that if he came to Paris, I would not accompany him to any ceremonies, but that I was ready to continue the dialogue on Syria. He decided to postpone the visit,” Hollande said at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on Tuesday.

The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies