One of Hollande's most immediate wishes is trying to seal the porous border between Turkey and Syria, which seems to have been a route followed by many IS fighters. This move has already been backed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Sanctions split
France's luxury goods, wine and cheese makers were some of the worst hit by sanctions imposed by Russia, in retaliation for Western sanctions against Russian businesses and individuals following the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. Hollande has been one of the European leaders to most publicly raise the possibility of these sanctions being loosened.
Maxim Shipenkov | Reuters
Speaking before a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah, Russian President Vladimir Putin called Turkey's downing of a Russian fighter jet "a stab in the back" carried out by the accomplices of terrorists, saying the incident would have serious consequences for Moscow's relations with Ankara.
The current round of sanctions against Russia expire on January 31, 2016, but their continuation or otherwise should be decided at the 17/18 December European Council. One mooted compromise between those states, like Poland, which favor a harder stance against Russia, and others like France and Italy which have adopted a softer line, could be an extension for a shorter time than the typical six months.
"An extension requires unanimity among member states, but as long expected, this is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve," analysts at Teneo Intelligence pointed out in a research note.
- By CNBC's Catherine Boyle
Patrick Abboud
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