French President Emmanuel Macron wished Vladimir Putin success Monday in "modernising Russia" after his re-election, but urged Moscow to shed light on the "unacceptable" attempted assassination of an ex-spy in Britain.
Macron also expressed concern over the war in Syria, in which Moscow plays a key role as the regime's closest ally, in a carefully-worded statement that steered clear of congratulating Putin directly for his election win.
"The president offered Russia and the Russian people, in the name of France, his wishes for success in the political, democratic, economic and social modernisation of the country," the statement said.
"He stressed his commitment to a constructive dialogue between Russia, France and Europe."
He "called on Russia to do its best to stop the fighting and civilian casualties."