Macron wants to look like a heavyweight beside Putin – but it’s all PR

“There are a lot of elements at play here – a long history of amity/enmity, French being the language spoken in imperial Russian court/society until 18th century, Russian emigres in France, and Napoleon’s invasion in early 19th century, which continues to feed into Russian sense of vulnerability,” says Professor Tracey German, a Russian expert at London’s Royal United Services Institute in London.