However, only three days after meeting Mr Macron, Mr Putin hosted Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev. The pair shook hands and sat with a small coffee table between them. During their ...

Macron opted for the latter. "We knew very well that meant no handshake and that long table ... about the meeting said the Russians explained to the French side that "Putin needed to be kept ...

"Indeed, Putin and Macron have agreed that Macron will be in Moscow on Monday. There will be Russian-French talks and a joint press conference," the Kremlin spokesman said, stressing that the ...