US President Barack Obama does not trust French President Francois Hollande despite what appears in the media as a cordial relationship, French journalist Michel Colomes wrote in Le Point.
Obama and Hollande have a history of disagreements, according to Colomes, as a result of Hollande's initially more hawkish stance on Syria, in which he aimed to bomb government forces before Obama called off the operation. In addition, France's stalling on the Iranian nuclear deal made Obama lose the economic dividend from the lifting of sanctions before his term is up, Colomes wrote.
After the Paris attacks, Hollande had a change of heart, according to Colomes, seeking a closer relationship with Russia to help tackle ISIL.
"Obama obviuosly suspects that Putin wants to negotiate on a position where the situation in Ukraine and the war in Syria are connected. He is afraid of France, which has suffered more than others from the negative effects of the embargo imposed on the Russians, and does not advocate the lifting of sanctions if he was promised a war effort that would make the Islamic State less dangerous," Colomes wrote.
The issue may come up during the upcoming meeting between the two, according to Colomes, as Hollande may seek to lift sanctions against Russia. Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy's The Republicans party issued a statement on Tuesday, calling for a lifting of sanctions on Russia.
