- Tweeter
republish
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev arrives in France on Monday (June 24th) where he will meet his French counterpart, Édouard Philippe, for the first time since President Putin came to power in 2017. The two men will meet in Le Havre to discuss crises regions, including Syria and Ukraine. Not to mention economic issues and cooperation.
French companies are very present in Russia. Despite the tensions, this country represents a huge investment potential. Seven of the fifty largest foreign investors in Russia are the French, present in the agri-food or automotive sector. France is in the top three of foreign investors with Germany and the United Kingdom.
But recently renewed European sanctions weigh on trade. Russia is only the twelfth largest trading partner of France.
The trade balance leans heavily on the Russian side. France exports transport equipment, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, as well as industrial and agricultural machinery.
On the other hand, it imports a great deal of hydrocarbons, in particular crude oil and gas, as well as refined petroleum products. Expensive products that constitute the overwhelming majority of French imports.
Result: the balance of trade remains deficit. It is currently 4.6 billion euros in favor of Russia.