The article examines the international situation in Europe in 1716 - early 1717, when Peter I took the decision to travel to France. The authors analyze position of the leading European powers towards the Baltic / Northern issue and the prospects for the end of the Great Northern War. They also reveal factors that determined the attitude of England, France and Austria to the prospects of strengthening Russia and weakening Sweden from the point of view of their interests and the stability of the European system in general. The authors uncover the reasons that prompted the Tsar to strive to establish alliance with France. According to the authors, this was on the one hand dictated by the fact that the claims presented by Russia to Sweden at that momentum, to a greater extent coincided with the French vision of a peaceful settlement of the conflict between Charles XII and his opponents, and on the other hand, by the desire to secure support in case of any conflict with Austria.