Over the years, French President Emmanuel Macron has moved from personal calls to Russian dictator Vladimir Putin to tougher statements, including the possibility of using foreign troops in Ukraine.
Two year gap
On the air of the United News telethon, Macron recalled that between these periods there was a certain gap of two years. In 2017-2022, he communicated a lot with Putin in different formats: during the Russian President’s visits to France, Macron’s trips to Russia, in the international arena.
According to Macron, the main purpose of the trips was to achieve peace in Ukraine and adherence to the Minsk agreements. He recalled the meeting between Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky and Putin in the Normandy format, which took place in Paris in 2019.
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— This was the opportunity when President Putin and Zelensky met for the only time. This was in December 2019. We cared about the security of Europe. With these discussions, we wanted to reengage Putin in the dialogue about European security, but then a new phase came, — affirms the French President.
Putin violated all obligations
Macron noted that while he saw an opportunity, he tried to talk with Putin, but the Russian dictator violated all obligations in the Minsk format and even at a personal level.
— As long as it was possible, I continued to talk to him, but after the scenes of mass war crimes, after Bucha, the war entered another phase. I was thinking about what our strategic position might now be. I thought for a long time and came to the conclusion that today the situation is more complex than ever, — he thinks.
According to Macron, he admires the actions of the Ukrainians, but there are very large losses on both sides at the front. He noted that Russia was able to rebuild the economy for the long term to wage war, while there is a lot of uncertainty in the international arena.
— We need to not only determine what the real world will be like. A new impetus is needed at the European level to speed up aid. The enemy says: we have no limits. Then why should we say that we have these limits? We have a goal: Russia cannot win this war, — he said.
President Macron emphasized that France will support Ukraine. In his opinion, there will be no peace in Europe if Ukraine has to capitulate.
