One out of every four Russians expect Russian-French relations to improve under Macron - poll
MOSCOW. May 24 (Interfax) - The recent French presidential election campaign attracted the attention of more than half of Russians (56%), while 44% of respondents did not follow it, the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) said.
Fifty-eight percent of respondents believe the outcome of the elections in France is "very' or "fairly" significant to Russia. Thirty-five percent of the respondents think the opposite.
The poll, which surveyed 1,200 respondents, was conducted by phone on May 12-13.
Twenty-five percent of respondents believe Russian-French relations will improve under new French President Emmanuel Macron. Another 42% believe the relations will stay unchanged and only 9% of respondents expect relations to deteriorate.
The respondents are neutral or negative about current Russian-French relations: 30% call them fine and calm, 29% say they are lukewarm, and 8% believe they are hostile and tense. Only 13% believe relations with France are friendly and 8% believe they are good-neighborly.