On the day of his arrival, Mr Putin will be meeting with French Prime Minister, Francois Fillon, and possibly with President Nicolas Sarkozy as well.
The gas pipelines, which go across the Baltic and Black sea beds, are a massive source of reserves for the European market, although the European Union has concerns about dependency developing on Russia to supply the fuel.
Mr Putin is hoping he can allay such fears, and is seeking aid in modernising Avtovaz, the company that manufactures the Lada, and in which the French carmaker Renault has a 25% stake.
