NOVO-OGARYOVO, Russia/PARIS (Reuters) – Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy came under fire on Thursday for making an unofficial visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin at his residence near Moscow, where both men expressed regret for disagreements between their countries. Paris has been highly critical of Russia’s military intervention in Syria and French President François Hollande has said he sees no role for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in a future political transition. Sarkozy, who heads the conservative The Republicans party and is widely expected to make another run for the presidency in 2017, was slammed by the Socialist government over the visit.

Source: Sarkozy’s Putin visit sparks controversy at home – Yahoo News UK