French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been regularly calling Russian President Vladimir Putin, says that Putin is intent on seizing the whole of Ukraine.
Here’s what Putin said, and the French President’s response to it.
The Worst Is To Come
A senior aide to the French President told reporters that “the expectation of the president is that the worst is to come, given what President Putin told him.”
The aide added that there was nothing in what Putin said that should reassure us. Instead, Putin had shown great determination to continue the attack against Ukraine.
Macron had apparently told Putin that he was making a “grave mistake”.
This has been corroborated by the French President’s own Tweets, which said that in the conversation, Putin “refuses… to stop his attacks against Ukraine”.
I spoke to President Putin this morning. He refuses to stop his attacks on Ukraine at this point. It is vital to maintain dialogue to avoid human tragedy. I will continue my efforts and contacts. We must avoid the worst.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) March 3, 2022
No Mood For Compromise
The aide said that Putin showed no mood for compromise, and said that Putin wanted to seize control of the whole of Ukraine.
“He will, in his own words, carry out his operation to ‘de-Nazify’ Ukraine to the end.”
Macron apparently replied to Putin’s claim of ‘de-Nazification’ that Putin was either telling himself stories, or he was simply looking for a pretext to invade.
Macron added that what Putin was saying doesn’t match reality, and is no justification for the violence in Ukraine. He also emphasized that Russia is going to pay a high price for this, as it will end up an “isolated, weakened country” under long-lasting sanctions.
Putin Denied That Russian Military Was Targeting Civilians
The French leader also urged Putin to minimise civilian casualties and allow humanitarian access in Ukraine. This comes after evidence of Russian shelling in residential areas.
Putin was in favour but did not make any commitments. He had also denied that the Russian military was targeting civilian areas in Ukraine.
The aide said that Putin had once again complained about the West, and talked about the history of the last 30 years, “as is his habit”.
Macron and Putin To Continue Talks
Macron, who led diplomatic efforts to avoid the war and had continued to call Putin after the invasion, said he’ll continue to call Putin.
He emphasized that his determination to avoid the worst is and will remain total. He vowed to continue speaking with Putin for as long as possible, to persuade Putin to end violence and not spread the conflict.
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The aide said that the two leaders continued to use the informal “you” pronoun when speaking to each other even after the invasion as a sign of friendliness.
There were no signs of tensions during the calls between Macron and Putin, who has a very neutral and clinical way of speech.
The aide said that Macron will once again push for more sanctions on Russia, to increase the cost of the invasion.
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