RUSSIAN-FRENCH RELATIONS IN THE LATE 20TH AND EARLY 21ST CENTURIES

The tradition of Russian-French relations has a long and rich history. The two countries have had periods of rapprochement, alliances, diplomatic and military confrontations. Russia and France are located in different parts of Europe, do not have common borders but were close to each other predominately in the diplomatic and cultural aspects during the historical period of the Russian Empire. The aim of this article is to analyze the development of Russian-French relations in the late 20th and early 21st centuries considering state of diplomatic, military, cultural, economic ties, highlighting factors that prevented or, on the contrary, stimulated bilateral contacts. In recent months, the Ukrainian crisis has led to a significant deterioration in RussianFrench relations, which are now characterized by political and economic tensions and a climate of mutual suspicion. For some observers, this atmosphere is reminiscent of the rhetoric and practices of the Cold War; it demonstrates that the quarter century that has passed since the disappearance of the Soviet Union could not cure the structural mistrust inherited from several decades of ideological and geopolitical confrontation.