The countries’ leaders are holding talks in the Vnukovo-2 airport.
The Elysee Palace statement earlier said that the presidents’ meeting takes place in the framework of an unplanned visit of Hollande to Moscow following his trip to Kazakhstan.
Hollande Confident Russia, France Could Overcome 'Obstacles' in Bilateral Relations
French President Francois Hollande on Saturday expressed confidence that Russia and France could overcome “obstacles” in bilateral relations.
“I think that at some point we need to get rid of these obstacles, these walls that separate us, and I think we can do it,” Hollande said.
Russia and France signed the €1.2 billion ($1.5 billion) deal for the two Mistral-class ships in June 2011. While the first carrier, the Vladivostok, was expected in Russia until the end of November, but never arrived, the second ship, the Sevastopol, was supposed to arrive in 2015. Last week, French leader put the delivery on hold, citing the situation in eastern Ukraine as the reason behind the decision.
Relations between Russia and the European Union member countries have deteriorated amid the Ukrainian crisis, as European leaders kept blaming Moscow for its alleged involvement in the Ukrainian internal conflict – a claim that Kremlin has repeatedly denied.
Over the past few months, the European Union, the United States and their allies have implemented several rounds of sanctions targeting Russia's banking, energy and defense sectors, as well as a number of high-ranking officials in retaliation to what they called Russia's aggressive policy in Ukraine.
Putin Sure Hollande’s Moscow Visit Will Help Solve Ukrainian Crisis
“You were an initiator of the meeting in Normandy to solve the problems, which you have mentioned. The problems are complex, but nevertheless the discussion that we are having on this issue has some sort of a positive result, and I am sure that your today’s short visit, the working one, will contribute to solving many problems,” Putin said when starting his meeting with Hollande.
On June 6, that commemorated the Allied landings in Normandy in 1944, several bilateral meetings took place in France, involving Russian, French, German and Ukrainian leaders. The sides discussed the Ukrainian conflict.
