Emmanuel Macron/Photo from the press service of the OP
French President Emmanuel Macron said that sometimes his calls to Vladimir Putin occurred at the request of Kyiv, but more and more often he called the Kremlin leader on his own initiative.
Macron on calls to Putin
The President of France, during his visit to Kyiv, confirmed to Ukrainian journalists that his communication with Putin did not work, and now he especially feels it.
He said that given the number of hours he spent in conversations with Putin, and given the epiphany after visiting Irpen and Bucha, Macron is very disappointed.
“Disappointment – it's not even a strong enough word, considering what the actions of this man led “, he explained.
Emmanuel Macron stressed that sometimes the Ukrainian authorities asked him to call the Kremlin.
Sometimes I called at the request of President Zelensky when he wanted to convey certain messages or proposals to Putin, the French President said.
He also claims he had no illusions about the Russian leader's intentions.
“That's why I made so much effort to prevent this war from starting. That's why I went to Moscow in the winter, and before that I spent so much time with this man. Because I understood that every new step would create something irreversible for Ukraine, and for Russia,” Macron stressed.
Macron tweeted in Ukrainian
After visiting Kyiv Emmanuel Macron wrote three tweets in Ukrainian.
First of all, the French President stressed that Ukraine is part of the European family.
Together with his partners from Germany, Italy and Romania, supporting the status of Ukraine as a direct candidate to join the European Union, we confirm this to President Zelensky,” he wrote.
Subsequently, he added that in the coming days, as soon as the European Commission sets the framework for discussion, the 27 member states of the EU will have to make important historic decisions together in order to fulfill the promises. “We must show Ukraine a decisive and clear act,” he said.
In addition, Macron noted that in the short term, in order to develop answers to the issues of security, energy, mobility, strengthening infrastructure and youth, Europeans will have to find new forms of alliances.
Why Emmanuel Macron is criticized: the main
- Vladimir Zelensky said that Macron offered Ukraine to make territorial concessions in order to allegedly “save Putin's face.” In response, the Ukrainian president stressed that Ukraine was not ready to cede its territories.
- The French president also urged not to humiliate Russia, so that after the war she would get out of isolation. The statement of the French leader was sharply criticized by Dmitry Kuleba.
- Macron's position did not find support in Poland either. Poland's ambassador to Ukraine, Bartosz Cichocki, has offered those who want to save Putin's face to hand over their territories.
- Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz have been criticized for being in touch with Putin. Not all EU countries support this strategy.
- In Estonia, the head of the foreign affairs commission, Marko Mihkelson, said calling Putin is a path to new aggression. Also, former Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said that conversations with Putin are “calls to a terrorist.”
