a spiritual centre at a new Russian Orthodox church near the Eiffel Tower , but Hollande had insisted his Russian counterpart also took part in talks with him about Syria . The unprecedented cancellation of a visit so close to being finalised is a ' serious step ... reminiscent of the Cold War ' , said Russian foreign policy analyst Fyodor Lukyanov . ' This is part of the broader escalation in the tensions between Russia and the West , and Russia and NATO , ' he told AFP .