Perhaps trying to add an air of importance to Putin's visit, Russian TV channel RT shared the following curious detail: "Receptions in Versailles are very rare. For example, Nicolas Sarkozy received a guest at the royal palace only once. That was the famous visit of Muammar Gaddafi in 2007."
Whether it was just a coincidence or smart political trolling, Macron's decision to meet with Putin in Versailles is indeed important, at the very least it provides for a pertinent analogy to be drawn.
A dictator from an oil-producing nation falls out with the West after a passenger airliner is taken down. As a result, he faces international sanctions, starts experiencing economic problems, and heightens anti-Western propaganda. Both Putin and Gaddafi walked that path. In Gaddafi's case, we know the end of the story, in Putin's case - we don't yet. [...]
In other words, it doesn't seem that Putin met a friend in Paris - as was the case with Jacques Chirac. He wasn't even meeting a partner, which is what Sarkozy was, to some extent. Macron was harder on Putin than Francois Hollande was, Hollande supported the sanctions but would hardly have allowed himself such candour in Putin's presence.
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