Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron yesterday tried to find a cause in their common unease over US President Donald Trump's actions on Iran, climate change and international trade.
France disagrees with the Kremlin over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine four years ago and allegations that Moscow meddled in the French presidential election in support of one of Macron's opponents.
But there were only fleeting signs of those differences when Macron met Putin at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, an annual showcase for investment in Russia that the Russian leader is hosting in his hometown.
Instead, the two leaders focused on concerns about the future of a multinational deal over the Iranian nuclear deal program, now in jeopardy following Trump's statements.
Washington's withdrawal from the pact raises the prospect that Russian or French companies doing business with Iran could be hit by US unilateral sanctions.
Speaking to a question and answer session in front of an audience of Russian business executives and officials, Putin said the US withdrawal is harmful and counterproductive.
He also railed against the United States applying its laws beyond its borders to punish foreign companies. "This is unacceptable and must stop," he said. Macron, who had traveled to Washington in a fruitless attempt to persuade Trump to stick to the Iran deal, did not explicitly criticize the US leader.
He said he had a strong relationship with Trump, but he acknowledged that there are "issues we have differences" on.
He said he would try to convince Trump to return to talks on the Iranian nuclear program, and he was also critical of Trump's decision to move the US embassy to Israel to Jerusalem, keeping up with the position of most governments Europeans.
"It was not desirable," Macron said, adding that the embassy's move helped unleash fatal clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli security forces.
During the meeting session, Macron always sat next to Putin, calling him “Dear Vladimir”.
Macron said that Trump has, in fact, missed the opportunity for an international discussion on the climate change agreement in Paris because the international consensus to support the agreement.
The Trump administration last month imposed sanctions on a number of major Russian companies. The step has also damaged European and other international companies that have had to interrupt the trade links with the entities sanctioned for fear of punitive action by Washington.
While sitting next to Putin, Macron repeatedly reported the need to establish "European financial sovereignty" - a blow to European economies on the US financial system.
Macron arrived in St. Petersburg with a small delegation of French leaders eager to sign agreements with Russia, despite the new US sanctions.
Putin accused the United States of undermining the rules of global trade by using sanctions as a weapon in its push for protectionism.
The Russian leader emphasized the presence of a large number of foreign executives at the event as evidence that US sanctions have not achieved their goal.