In these difficult times for the Ukrainian people, the task of France and Europe is to tell the Ukrainians that we are here by your side. This was stated by French President Emanuel Macron in an interview given today by Ukraine to the French television station TF1.
Asked if he wished Russia a military defeat, the French president said he hoped Ukraine would be able to defend its territory, regain its freedom and independence. Asked if any concessions should be made to the Russian side, Macron said it was up to Ukraine to decide. “It is our duty to stand by it and by international law,” he said. He also said that Ukraine should be helped to withstand a lasting war. He said, however, that at some point there would have to be either a military defeat or a diplomatic exit.
Emanuel Macron also said that his relations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky have not cooled down. He noted, however, that there were many who did not understand or did not want to understand the reasons why he continues to talk to President Putin. Asked if he intends to go to Russia, he said that today the conditions for such a thing are not met. However, he noted that he would continue to talk to Putin, mainly on humanitarian issues but also on food security issues.
On the issue of Ukraine’s accession to the EU, he said that a strong message should be given to the Ukrainians that Europe is now ready to recognize the status of candidate country. He said, however, that there would be a “roadmap” for full membership to be determined by the European Commission.
On the issue of lifting the embargo imposed by Russia on cereal exports from Ukraine, Macron said that exports can be made mainly through the port of Odessa, noting that both the Russians and and the Ukrainians but also that Turkey also has a special role to play in the Black Sea.
Finally, when asked about the internal affairs of France and in particular whether his recent statement that “a French one should not be added to the international disorder” means that he is asking the French for an absolute majority in the National Assembly, Macron said that the world is going through a critical period, that we do not know when the war will end and that in order for France to play its rightful role in the international political arena it must be able to make extremely important decisions in these extremely difficult times.
Source: Capital
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