Macron criticises "defeating speech" on Ukraine and says Russia has been weakened
French President Emmanuel Macron has criticised pessimistic statements about Ukraine, arguing that the war has in fact weakened Russia.
Source: Macron at the Munich Security Conference, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Macron expressed support for US President Donald Trump's efforts to achieve a peace settlement.
"I fully support President Trump's drive towards a negotiated peace, one that should be just lasting and robust. And I want to believe that we're getting closer. But as discussions are taking shape, Russia keeps bombing civilians and destroying energy facilities, with the obvious aim of freezing Ukrainians into submission. The answer cannot be to cave in to Russia demands, but to increase pressure on Russia instead," he said.
Macron also urged observers to look at the bigger picture, noting that after four years of full-scale war Russia has become a weakened country.
"It squandered inordinate amounts of money on a senseless war and has now entered recession. It is isolated economically. It is completely dependent on China. While the country already had a severe demographic problem, it lost hundreds of thousands of young lives to an illusion. It meant to fight NATO expansion – Sweden and Finland joined NATO. It meant to weaken Europe – Europe is massively rearming," the French president said.
"And when I hear some defeating speech about Ukraine, when I hear some, some leaders urging Ukraine to accept they are defeated, overpricing Russia in this war, this is a huge strategic mistake, because this is not a reality," Macron stressed.
He believes it is essential to ensure that any peace settlement preserves European security, deters Russia from further attempts at aggression and does not set a dangerous example for the rest of the world.
"So the Europeans have a direct take as main actors of the support to Ukraine, as members of the Coalition of the Willing, as fellow inhabitants of the same continent, and because of the European destiny of Ukraine," Macron concluded.
Background:
- Dmytro Lytvyn, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed to journalists that the next round of negotiations between Ukraine, Russia and the United States will take place on 17-18 February in Geneva.
- On 10 February, Kaja Kallas, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said she would initiate a discussion with EU member states regarding a list of the concessions that Europe should demand from Russia as part of a potential agreement to end Russia's war against Ukraine.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!