Flexing his diplomatic muscles, French President Emmanuel Macron says he has had "extremely frank, direct" talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, pushing for cooperation on Syria and against the Islamic State group.
But he also launched an extraordinary attack on two Russian media outlets he accused of spreading "lying propaganda."
The two leaders emerged from their first meeting - discussions at the sumptuous Palace of Versailles that lasted more than an hour longer than planned - clearly still at odds on multiple issues, but also seemingly keen not to let their differences define their fledgling relationship.
Macron said he spoke to Putin about LGBT rights in Chechnya and about the rights of embattled NGOs in Russia, vowing he would be "constantly vigilant" on these issues.
Putin emphasised the need for closer cooperation between Russia and France, two nuclear-armed permanent members of the UN Security Council.
Speaking with remarkable frankness, Macron tore into the state-funded Russian media outlets Sputnik and Russia Today, for spreading what he said were "serious untruths" during the French election.
"When press outlets spread defamatory untruths, they are no longer journalists, they are organs of influence," Macron said.
"I will not give an inch on this," he said. "Russia Today and Sputnik ... behaved as organs of influence, of propaganda, of lying propaganda."
Macron's aides also claimed that Russian groups launched hacking attacks on his campaign.
Moscow strongly denied all allegations of meddling in the French election that Macron won on May 7.
Putin rejected accusations of election meddling as unfounded press speculation.
But he also defended his March meeting with Macron's rival in the presidential race, far-right leader Marine Le Pen.
Putin described Le Pen as a politician who wants to develop friendly ties with Russia and said it would have been strange to rebuff her overtures.
He said the meeting with Le Pen didn't represent an attempt to sway the race.
Macron said any use of chemical weapons in Syria - where Russia is propping up the government of President Bashar Assad - is a "red line" for France and would be met by "reprisals" and an "immediate riposte" from France.
France flies warplanes over Syria and Iraq, striking Islamic State targets as part of an international coalition.
Macron portrayed the meeting as just a first step in resetting the country's relations with Russia.
"Big things are built over time," he said. "It was an exchange that was extremely frank, direct, with a lot of things that were said."
"We have disagreements, but at least we talked about them," he added.
Putin said he and Macron agreed to discuss pursuing closer cooperation on anti-terror efforts, with a proposed exchange of experts to work toward that goal.
On Syria, Putin underlined the importance of securing the Syrian state, adding that it's essential for combatting terrorism. Macron took the same stance, saying: "I want us to organise a democratic transition but also preserve a Syrian state."
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