You're reading: Bloomberg: Fillon urges Merkel to bring Russia in from cold in Berlin talks

French presidential front-runner Francois Fillon reached out to German Chancellor Angela Merkel with calls for a stronger joint defense posture and better relations with Russia as Donald Trump’s arrival in the White House shifts Europe’s security debate.

Merkel received the Republicans’ candidate for a private lunch at the chancellery in Berlin on Jan. 23 ahead of the two-round French election in April and May. While the two are from the same political family, the Christian Democratic chancellor and Fillon don’t see eye-to-eye on range of topics, including nuances of how to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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