French President Hollande makes unexpected visit to Vladimir Putin in Russia

French President Hollande makes unexpected visit to Vladimir Putin in Russia
(Image credit: Thierry Chesnot/Getty Images)

Flying back from Kazakhstan toward Paris, French President Francois Hollande made an impromptu stopover in Moscow on Saturday, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Associated Press reports.

The visit makes Hollande the first Western leader to visit Russia since the Crimea annexation took place in March, and was a rare show of goodwill toward the isolated Putin. However, the visit took place without the usual political protocol; Hollande and Putin met at the Moscow airport, where they reportedly discussed Russia's role in developing a permanent cease-fire between Ukraine and pro-Russian militants.

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Sarah Eberspacher

Sarah Eberspacher is an associate editor at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked as a sports reporter at The Livingston County Daily Press & Argus and The Arizona Republic. She graduated from Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.