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French President Francois Hollande certainly won’t go hungry this Thursday night. He’s dining twice – first with U.S. President Barack Obama, then with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

It will be a digestive and logistical challenge, but the safest diplomatic solution for the French president to keep apart two leaders who are at odds.

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Hollande is hosting at least 18 heads of state this week to mark the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy. Obama and Putin are among them, but do not plan one-on-one talks. U.S.-Russian tensions are higher than they have been in years because of the unrest in Ukraine.

Hollande will be the first Western leader to meet individually with Putin since pro-European protests overthrew Ukraine’s pro-Moscow president, Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula, and the U.S. and EU imposed sanctions over Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

French and Russian diplomats in Paris said that Hollande will host two consecutive dinners Thursday. Obama comes first; then two hours later it’s Putin’s turn, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity to be able to discuss the plans before they are publicly formalized.