MOSCOW, June 17 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy will meet at least twice during international summits in the next six months, the French Ambassador to Russia said on Tuesday.

Medvedev, who was elected president in March 2008, has not yet met Sarkozy in person. However, the two have already held a few telephone conversations.

"They will meet at the G8 summit [in Japan in July]. And they will see each other at an EU summit in Nice on November 14, during France's EU presidency," Stanislas de Laboulaye said.

The diplomat described Sarkozy and Medvedev as "new generation leaders, who have outlined difficult reform programs," and expressed hope that the two will be able to "understand each other well."

The 34th summit of the Group of Eight industrialized nations - Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S. - will be held on the Japanese island of Hokkaido on July 7-9.