Putin will not meet Macron as during his trip to Russia to watch football match

MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin will not meet his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, who plans to attend a football match between France and Belgium Tuesday, the Kremlin said Monday.

Macron will fly to St. Petersburg to root for his national team in a World Cup semifinal against Belgium and then leave the city immediately, while Putin has no plan to attend the game, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

Although there will be no meeting, Peskov praised the "intensive" contacts at the highest level between the two countries. He said Putin and Macron have developed friendly and constructive relations.

In May, Macron visited St. Petersburg, Russia's second-largest city, and discussed the situation of Iran, Syria and Ukraine with Putin. They agreed to further develop bilateral relations.

The French leader was explicit about his intention to mend ties with Moscow amid heightened Western pressure on Russia.