It has been more than 100 days since Russia invaded Ukraine. French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been mediating Ukraine and Russia to try to resolve the war, has sparked a strong backlash following repeatedly calling for “not humiliating Russia.” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba said the move would only humiliate France. Ukraine, the United States, Eastern Europe and the Baltic countries even more criticized Macron for lacking logic, because Macron advocates goodwill diplomacy, but Russia is in aggression violence and has no goodwill.
Macron has sought to maintain dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin since Russia launched its military invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Macron’s stance has been repeatedly questioned by several Eastern European and Baltic partners, arguing that it would undermine efforts to bring Putin to the negotiating table. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mentioned in a previous interview that Macron had persuaded him to give up some of his territory so that Putin might save face.
In an exclusive interview published by the regional newspaper on the 4th, Macron said, “We must not humiliate Russia, so that following the conflict is over, we will be able to seek an exit through diplomatic means. I am convinced that France will play the role of mediator.” “I have told him (Putin) that he is making a historic and fundamental mistake once morest the people, once morest himself and once morest history,” Hong added.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba tweeted bluntly: “Calling to avoid humiliating Russia will only embarrass France and other countries making such calls. Because Russia is humiliating itself, we better focus on how to make Russia self-aware. , which brings peace and saves lives.” The reaction was also strong in Eastern European countries, which felt more threatened by Russia.
“The French president is still looking for a way to save the war criminal Putin from being humiliated,” Marko Mihkelson, chairman of the Estonian parliament’s foreign affairs committee, asked in a Facebook post. Mihkelson also asked Macron: “He would What to say to this little girl in Ukraine?” and posted a photo of a child who was amputated on a hospital bed in an attack by Russian troops.
Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkēvičs tweeted a Russian love song mocking Macron’s continued dialogue with Putin: “I may have forgotten my pride. How much I want to hear this voice.” “Putin will only negotiate when his troops can no longer move forward, whether he is humiliated or not. Macron should have thought of that,” said Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia under President Barack Obama.
Macron explained that he is taking a long-term view, because then “peace will return” and a “new security balance” must be established in Europe. Macron said in Strasbourg on May 9 that it was necessary not to succumb to the temptation of humiliation or a spirit of vengeance. Macron was referring to the “treaty” imposed on Germany in 1919 by the victors of the First World War, namely severe territorial losses and reparations, which are seen as a type of cause for a new round of world wars from 1939 to 1945. reason.
Behind the debate, AFP alleges, is a debate over the terms of a ceasefire and possible concessions to Russia, but many fear a repeat of the 2014 precedent, when the West made it easy for Russia to annex Crimea , and the 2015 Minsk agreement never managed to end the conflict with pro-Russian factions in eastern Ukraine. Seven years later, Macron still claims France is playing the role of “mediator”.
In the eyes of US diplomat Daniel Fried, Macron is placing himself in a “goodwill diplomacy”, but the problem is that the Kremlin is in “violent logic” with no “goodwill gestures” at all “. “Let’s continue to work together so that a new generation of men and women will not have to live and grow up under the scourge of great-power war,” said Gen.
