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French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that the European Union will face a “persistent” threat of Russian aggression unless President Vladimir Putin’s forces are defeated in Ukraine. Ludovic Marin/Pool/AFP via Getty Images
French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that the European Union will face a “persistent” threat of Russian aggression unless President Vladimir Putin’s forces are defeated in Ukraine.
“Who would think that President Putin, who has no respect for any of his own limits and commitments, would stop there?” Macron asked in a joint interview with TF1 and France 2 television channels on Thursday. “The security of Europe and the French people is at stake.”
He made the remarks ahead of talks with Polish and German leaders in Berlin on Friday, where he is expected to aim to rally key Western allies behind Kiev and shore up Western support. .
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s forces are fighting to stop the Russian advance, but they are desperately short on ammunition and fear a collapse in defenses will force Putin’s forces to close in on Kiev again. There are growing concerns that this may be the case. Meanwhile, European countries are struggling to maintain unity, bickering over what equipment to provide and whether to consider sending troops to Ukraine.
“In recent years, we have been living in a world where things that we thought were unthinkable are happening,” Macron said. “The war is being fought on European soil. The distance between Strasbourg and Riev is less than 1,500 kilometers.”
Two weeks ago, President Macron sparked tensions with allies when he said nothing should be ruled out when asked about implementation in Ukraine. He argued that strategic ambiguity is needed to deter Moscow. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the White House quickly rejected this option, but Putin warned that there was a risk of nuclear conflict if NATO sent troops to support Ukraine.
President Macron is seeking to take the lead in Europe on aiding Ukraine, holding a summit in Paris where countries agreed on a plan to source much-needed ammunition for the Ukrainian military outside the European Union. A bilateral defense agreement was signed with Ukraine and the two countries. Moldova. Last week, he sent top diplomats to Lithuania to drum up support from the Baltic states, which praised his sense of urgency.
At the same time, Scholz has faced criticism for refusing to agree to Kiev’s request for Taurus long-range cruise missiles. The prime minister instead emphasized that Germany is one of Ukraine’s most generous supporters, pledging about $30 billion worth of military aid.
Consulting firm Eurasia Group said the Berlin meeting would not change the situation significantly, but that it would be important to meet Mr. Scholz ahead of crucial months for the situation in Ukraine, European elections in June, and the appointment of a new NATO leader. He said this was Mr Macron’s last chance to mend fences. With notes.
“It’s good to be able to come together in a Weimar Triangle format at the moment,” Scholz told reporters Wednesday. “Of course it’s the right thing to do now to sit down and talk to each other.”
He said the issue of ammunition and artillery for Ukraine was an urgent matter for discussion, and insisted that relations with Mr Macron were “very friendly”.
“The ties that bind Germany and France are unbreakable,” French Minister of European Affairs Jean-Noël Barrault told LCI television on Friday when asked about the rift between Paris and Berlin.
“European countries are absolutely united around Franco-German relations in their determination to provide long-term support for as long as necessary,” he said.
In a television interview, President Macron blamed domestic opposition for not supporting the bilateral security agreement with Ukraine that was voted on in parliament earlier this week.
“To abstain and vote against supporting Ukraine is to choose defeat,” he said.
However, support for Ukraine among French voters is showing signs of weariness. A poll of 1,504 adults conducted last week by BFM TV and La Tribune d’Imanche’s polling agency Erabe found that 43% of people think Paris should maintain its current level of military aid. This is a decrease of 9 points from last summer. Four-fifths said they were concerned that the war would spread beyond Ukraine and opposed the presence of French troops on Ukrainian territory.
“What’s happening in Ukraine?” Mr. Macron asked. “This is an existential war for our Europe and France.”
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