French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian has said that Russian President Putin’s goal is to “fully occupy” Ukraine, noting that no progress has been made in recent consultations in Istanbul.
“Istanbul’s only innovation is the willingness to make the negotiations public, especially on the Russian side,” Le Drian told Le Figaro, noting that this also allowed Russian forces to rebuild.
“Ukraine ‘s’ neutrality’, the security guarantees to be given to Ukraine, the methods of ratification, the Donetsk and Luhansk territories and Crimea have been under discussion for weeks. But first there must be an end to it. “On all these issues, we support Ukraine and its sovereignty and condemn Russian aggression,” he said.
Asked if France could be one of the guarantors of Ukraine’s security if a neutrality regime is adopted, Le Drian said: “We are listening to President Zelensky’s proposals. “It’s certain that neutrality can not work without security guarantees. It is up to both parties to determine the outline.”
Asked about the scenarios he imagines for the end of the crisis, he commented that in any case there should be negotiation. That is why the President of the French Republic wants to maintain a channel of persistent and regular discussion with Putin, he explained. But he added: “This war already has three consequences that the Russian president did not anticipate. It caused a triple awakening. First, it helped unite the Ukrainian nation and its unity. Second, it woke up the European Union. On the contrary, Europe has strengthened as a power, remained united and proved capable of making important decisions quickly, and hoped that Europe would “By adopting the strategic compass and committed to increase its capabilities. Finally, the war woke up NATO. A few months ago, the Alliance was questioning its future. Today, it is returning to its main activity, the collective defense of the Euro-Atlantic area.”
Regarding Macron’s stance, he said that the French president would continue to call the Russian president despite the lack of results and stressed that it was also necessary to establish links that would one day allow Putin to communicate with Zelensky. “Macron is taking part in this diplomatic effort without naivety. He is doing it to take on the special responsibilities of France,” he said.
Asked if we are returning to the Cold War, with an ideological and political confrontation between two coalitions, he commented that the reality today is that there is a war in Europe. “One day we will have to return to security and stability on the continent and bring back to the table the principles of the 1990 Paris Charter, which set out the non-use of force between states. This step will be necessary in a second phase. When Russia speaks of war against the West, we say that this is a violation of the fundamental principles of the international community, and we must by no means embrace this Russian interpretation of the conflict, but rather act in accordance with the principles of the United Nations. “The rules of stability in Europe need to be adjusted and revised, because they are largely outdated, but we also need to go back to the basics of international law.”
Finally, when asked if there is a difference of opinion between France and the United States, after Macron distanced himself from Biden’s statements about Putin, Le Drian argued that there is a unity of opinion between the two countries and that the goal of the allies is sovereignty. Ukraine, its territorial integrity and the ceasefire.
SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ
Source: Capital
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