On Thursday Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks on Syria with his French counterpart Francois Hollande.
So have the French become more of a target since President Francois Hollande sent troops to landlocked Mali?
France's President Hollande is turning out to be the key player in exerting pressure on Germany.
Recent opinion polls show Mr Hollande's approval rating among the public has fallen to about 25%.
And he wrote that he spoke with "his" President Francois Hollande about the decision.
CNN: French star Depardieu ditches France for Putin's Russia
The 62-year-old politician could be Mr. Hollande's best chance to knit amiable relations with Chancellor Merkel.
French President Francois Hollande says recession is now "threatening the very identity of Europe".
Passing legislation to allow same-sex marriage was one of Hollande's election pledges in campaigning last year.
Mr Hollande has, on occasions, sided with the Italians and Spanish against the Germans.
Hollande came to power on the country's hopes of pushing back against Europe's austerity drive.
French President Francois Hollande has said his country will begin withdrawing troops from Mali next month.
The campaign in the north had killed "terrorist leaders", Mr Hollande said without giving any names.
The "Marriage for All" bill was backed by President Francois Hollande's Socialists and other left-wing MPs.
So Mr Hollande, a fellow member of the centre-left may come as a welcome change.
Au contraire, President Hollande is compounding the damage with huge class-warfare tax hikes.
Campaign manager Pierre Moscovici said Mr. Hollande hasn't yet focused on setting up his government team.
He said Mr. Hollande will push for adding a paragraph to the fiscal treaty on growth.
France's election results showed Mr. Hollande taking 28.6% of the vote to Mr. Sarkozy's 27.1%.
Mr Hollande said a new national, specialist prosecutor would act on cases of fraud and corruption.
In his first presidential speech, Mr Hollande said he wished to deliver a "message of confidence".
Mr Hollande's performance was "often bland, almost banal", the editorial by Eric Decouty said.
In December France's constitutional council struck down the new 75% tax rate introduced by Mr Hollande.
He is lagging in the opinion polls far behind the Socialist candidate, Francois Hollande.
Mr Hollande has promised to stand down as leader at next year's party congress.
On Friday French President Francois Hollande said the Mali operation was in its final stages.
Does President Hollande's victory make it more likely that this miraculous deal might be struck?
Mr Hollande was sworn in for a five-year term at the Elysee Palace in central Paris.
But Mr Hollande's administration has been chasing the wealthy with such investments abroad, our correspondent says.
If elected, Hollande would be France's first left-wing president since Francois Mitterrand left office in 1995.
The incoming President Hollande is promising a pro-growth approach as an alternative to strict austerity.
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