The tone is rising between Paris and Moscow. Emmanuel Macron denounces the “moral and political cynicism” of Vladimir Putin on the humanitarian corridors directed towards Russia. This Monday morning, the Élysée announced that Emmanuel Macron had not asked that these corridors be organized to evacuate civilians to Russia, as the Russian Ministry of Defense had claimed.
What is necessary, “these are not simply corridors, which are immediately threatened, it is not this hypocritical discourse which consists in saying: We are going to protect people to bring them to Russia “said the president in an interview with the French channel LCI. “All this is not serious, it is moral and political cynicism, which is unbearable to me,” he added.
Kiev on Monday refused the humanitarian corridors to Belarus and Russia offered by Moscow for the evacuation of civilians from the Ukrainian cities of Kharkhiv, Kiev, Mariupol and Sumy, plagued by heavy fighting.
“A hypocrisy, a communication artifact”
The Russian army claimed that this decision had been taken following a “personal request” from Emmanuel Macron addressed to Vladimir Putin during a telephone exchange on Sunday, which the Elysee denied.
“Russia pleads to create humanitarian corridors towards Russia” but “I don’t know many Ukrainians who want to take refuge in Russia. It is a hypocrisy, a communication artifact that I condemn, ”reacted the head of state on LCI.
“Humanitarian actors must be able to intervene, there must be complete truces to protect the women, children and men who must be protected and be able to get them out of the conflict zone”, a- he added.
Mobilization for the reception of Ukrainians
Noting that the situation “is getting worse every day” in Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron insisted that it was necessary “to stop this war without becoming belligerents ourselves” and assured that France and its allies will “continue to put pressure diplomacy to bring this war to an end as soon as possible”.
One of the priorities is to “mobilize to welcome Ukrainians fleeing the war” because “it is our duty (…) our values”, he added, thanking in particular the local authorities wishing to receive them.
On the diplomatic level, Emmanuel Macron and the German chancellor Olaf Scholz planned to exchange Tuesday with the Chinese president Xi Jinping, indicated the Elysee, while Beijing said it was “willing” to participate, “when the time comes” , to international mediation to end the war.
Emmanuel Macron will also host a European summit on Thursday and Friday in Versailles, the objective of which will be to discuss ways to make Europe “stronger and more sovereign” in order, particularly in defense, to “depend less on non-Europeans”. .
