MADRID (Sputnik) — Macron said in an interview on Wednesday that he respects Putin despite the disagreements they have over some issues including the situation in Ukraine.
"I respect Vladimir Putin. We held a constructive exchange of views. We have real disagreements, including over Ukraine, but he saw what my position is. I spent a long time talking one on one [with Putin] about international issues as well as on the protection of non-governmental organizations and [on the protection of] freedom in his country… Now we have the issue of Ukraine with Vladimir Putin. And Syria," Macron told European newspapers, including El Pais, in an interview.
In May, Macron received Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Versailles Palace outside Paris. Even though no breakthrough was made during the talks, Putin and Macron discussed a wide spectrum of bilateral relations and the most pressing issues on international agenda, in particular, the situations in Ukraine and Syria. Upon bilateral negotiations in Versailles that the Russian leader characterized as 'honest,' Macron noted that the most important challenges cannot be resolved without dialogue with Russia.
