Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder at the end of the month, Russian presidential press-secretary Alexei Gromov said Wednesday.

The summit will be held on August 30-31 in Russia's Black Sea resort of Sochi and the three leaders will discuss "crucial international issues," Interfax quoted Gromov as saying.

Russia, France and Germany -- the main European countries whichopposed the US-led war against Iraq -- tried hard but failed to prevent the US-British coalition from staging military attacks on Iraq early last year.

During their summit meeting in April last year, held in St. Petersburg, Putin, Schroeder and Chirac called for a central role for the United Nations in the post-war reconstruction of Iraq.

Schroeder and Putin are close friends. The Russian president was the only national leader invited to the German chancellor's 60th birthday party in Hanover in April.

Russia and France have also enjoyed historic ties, with their relations growing stronger in recent years.

Source: Xinhua