Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin hold frank talks in Versailles

Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images(VERSAILLES, France) — French President Emmanuel Macron hosted his Russian counterpart at the Palace of Versailles outside Paris on Monday for a symbolic first meeting between the two leaders as their countries work to renew relations.

But despite opening a dialogue, the newly-elected French leader stood next to Russian President Vladimir Putin at a joint news conference and challenged him on several issues.

Macron attacked Russian media outlets RT and Sputnik, calling them “agents of propaganda,” and defended his decision to ban their reporters from his campaign headquarters, accusing them of spreading fake news during France’s election campaign, according to the BBC.

Putin denied that Russia “tried to influence the election at all,” the BBC reports. The Russian leader said he hosted Macron’s rival, far-right nationalist Marine Le Pen, in the Kremlin before the election because she campaigned on strengthening relations with his country.

Macron also said he wanted France to “strengthen” its “partnership with Russia” in the fight against ISIS in Syria, adding that the use of chemical weapons would draw an “immediate response” from France, according to the BBC. Putin agreed to more cooperation between the two countries.

The meeting was held at Versailles to celebrate the opening of an exhibition dedicated to Peter the Great, a tsar in France, commemorating 300 years since his diplomatic visit to Paris.

Copyright © 2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

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