Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy was spotted going for a jog (or a brisk walk perhaps) through a park in St. Petersburg on Wednesday, smiling and greeting many flabbergasted Russians.

Sarkozy was in town warming up ahead of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) which will host delegations from across the EU and the wider world from June 6-8.

“Bonjour, how are you doing?” witness Andy Ka asks the smiling former head of state in video footage of the encounter.

“Nothing unusual. Just former French President Nicolas Sarkozy running around St. Petersburg this evening,” Ka added in a Facebook post.

Once dubbed “Sarko, l’américain” (Sarko, the American), the former president has long called for a normalization and improvement of relations between France and Russia.

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“You know my conviction that the world needs Russia,” Sarkozy famously told reporters in 2015.

“Russia and Europe should work together… to discuss, listen and respect, this is the destiny of France and Russia.”

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