French presidential frontrunner Francois Fillon has known Russian leader Vladimir Putin through good times and bad — and believes that dialogue, not threats, are key to handling the Kremlin strongman.
Fillon, a conservative hoping to clinch the nomination for the Republicans party over the centrist Alain Juppe at the weekend, has taken an overtly dovish approach to Russia while campaigning.
It puts him at odds with current Western policy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a time when relations with Russia are at one of their lowest ebbs since the Cold War.
“The question is: must we continue to provoke the Russians, refusing …read more
Source: Gulf times
