LClarification had become necessary. By recalling on June 10 that France wishes « Ukraine’s victory », the Elysée tried to close a controversy that ended up blurring its message and its image. For having repeated a week earlier his concern not to “humiliate Russia”Emmanuel Macron had indeed drawn virulent criticism from many European partners.
Admittedly, he had specified that this concern was part of the medium term “so that, the day the fighting stops, we can build a way out through diplomatic channels”, which no one can blame him on the merits. The President of the Republic had also spoken during the same interview of the“historical and fundamental error” committed with this war chosen by his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, now judged ” isolated “.
However, attention was only focused on a single word, inaudible in the din of arms ravaging the Donbass in this conflict for which Russia bears sole responsibility, while the constituent elements of war crimes are accumulating blame the Kremlin.
Visit of the French President to Ukraine
The controversy placed Emmanuel Macron, wrongly suspected of taking over Vladimir Putin’s obsessive rhetoric concerning the designs he has for Westerners. It also contributed to obscuring the clear and clear support, political as well as military, given to kyiv. “We want the territorial integrity of Ukraine to be restored. We want this conflict, this war of Russia against Ukraine to end as soon as possible.”recalled the Elysée on June 10.
It is likely that not all doubts will be dispelled everywhere by these statements. The unique histories of the countries that make up the European Union nurture different sensitivities when Russia is at stake. These differences have not, however, prevented a remarkable unity on the principles that have guided Europeans since the beginning of Russian aggression. .
This clarification nevertheless opens the way for a visit by the French president to Ukraine, where many of his peers have already preceded him. Emmanuel Macron is due to travel at the start of next week to two countries bordering Ukraine: Romania, where French forces have been deployed to show Paris’ solidarity in the ordeal, and Moldova, on which elsewhere another pro-Russian separatist threat.
While France is also trying to put an end to the Russian blockade of the great Ukrainian port of Odessa, which is preventing the export of cereals, which is crucial for countries in Africa and the Middle East, we can only invite the President of the Republic to push further east, while France is still chairing the European Council for twenty days.
Such a trip by Emmanuel Macron would reaffirm the course adopted by Westerners. When the time comes for diplomacy, it will be up to the Ukrainians alone to decide the fate of their country. Everything must be done, in the meantime, so that they can hold out against the powerful and ruthless Russian war machine without breaking, or even repel the invader wherever they can. This Western support is vital and indispensable. It must be repeated tirelessly, when it is already facing the test of time.