Putin: Russia, France Gradually Restoring Cooperation Formats

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Moscow and Paris are gradually restoring established formats of cooperation, which gives hope for further progress in bilateral ties, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday.

"In the coming days, we expect a meeting of the large [Russian-French] inter-parliamentary commission. We see our habitual cooperation mechanisms gradually revive. It let us believe that we will overcome all the difficulties which we have faced in the previous years, and will take the path of positive development," Putin said.

Earlier in the day, Putin held talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, who is also set to attend the 2018 FIFA World Cup final in the evening.

Meetings of the large Russian-French inter-parliamentary commission, formed in 1995, have been suspended since 2015 amid deteriorated relations between Moscow and Western countries over the crisis in Ukraine and Crimea's reunification with Russia.

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Following a long pause, the commission is expected to convene in Moscow between July 20 and July 29.

The West, including EU member states such as France, have since imposed several rounds of anti-Moscow sanctions. Russia has repeatedly refuted allegations of interference in Ukraine's affairs, warning that the Western sanctions were counterproductive.