The French leader was criticized by Ukraine at the start of the war for maintaining diplomatic contact with Putin. He was interviewed by the American media and said that “diplomacy is still possible”. Zelensky insists that Russia withdraw from all the places it has occupied
French President Emmanuel Macron said negotiations with Russia could still end the war in Ukraine, and that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion was a “huge mistake based on a ‘false narrative.'” Macron made the remarks in an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos that aired Thursday. .
“I think President Putin made a huge mistake when he started this war,” the French president said. “He made up his own mind, based on a fake narrative, and said that NATO would use Ukraine to attack Russia, which is completely wrong.”
When asked if a leader who acted like this could be trusted as a negotiating partner, Macron said simply, “That is exactly the question.” He will add: “I think he made a mistake, isn’t it possible to go back to the table and negotiate something? I think it’s still possible.”
The French leader was criticized by Ukraine at the start of the war for maintaining diplomatic contact with Putin – before the Kremlin decided Paris was “unfriendly” over France’s participation in international sanctions against Russia and severed contact with it. Macron and Putin spoke again last August to discuss a plan to allow UN inspectors to visit the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.
The French president, who is in the US this week, said that he is interested in a “sustainable” peace acceptable to the Ukrainians. “A good peace is not a peace that will be imposed on the Ukrainians,” he said. Ukraine has repeatedly stated that the restoration of the Ukrainian territory, including Crimea, which was annexed to Russia in 2014, is a necessary condition bye