MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, White House spokesman Josh Earnest confirmed the point of view previously voiced by Obama in 2014, that Russia is just a regional power.
"I have always considered Russia as a great power, not as a regional one, as was stated by Barack Obama," Sarkozy said in an interview with the French BFMTV channel.
He added that the isolation of Moscow was counterproductive and called for intensification of the dialogue with Russia.
Sarkozy, the current leader of France's right-wing The Republicans Party, arrived in Moscow on Wednesday night on an unofficial visit to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and is expected to return to France on Friday.
Nicolas Sarkozy held the office of French president from 2007 to 2012 Sarkozy retired from political life following his defeat in the 2012 presidential election. In September 2014, Sarkozy announced his return to politics.
