Published to:
Munich – French President Emmanuel Macron spoke this Friday at the Security Conference in Munich on the war in Ukraine, which, in a few days, will complete one year. The French head of state highlighted the catastrophic consequences of the conflict and said, without doubt, that the world must prepare for a protracted war.
In a speech that lasted more than 24 minutes, the French President began by talking about a catastrophic and unjustified swing and argued that the war affects the entire planet and not just European citizens.
“In a few days, a year will have passed since the launch of the catastrophic war of aggression, carried out by Russia, against Ukraine. The balance is considerable, of a catastrophic and unjustified conflict, and I would like to insist here, in a profound way, on one point: this war, contrary to what I often read, is not simply the war of Europeans and Europeans. It affects the entire planet“, says Emmanuel Macron.
The French head of state argues that the russian aggression It is “devoid of any justification“, qualifying it as “neocolonial and imperialist“.
This aggression has calamitous effects in the world, for which Russia bears full responsibility, Emmanuel Macron stressed.
The French President also stressed that Russia is a “power of imbalance and disorder” and that the current moment is not “of dialogue“, then justifying himself.
“We have a Russia that has chosen war, that has chosen to intensify it, and that has even chosen to commit war crimes and perpetrate attacks against civilian infrastructure. The short-term conclusion we must draw is simple: Russia cannot and will not win this war and Russian aggression must fail.“, he added.
Emmanuel Macron further said that “we must prepare for a protracted conflict” and that countries should commit to peace preparation.
“We have to start preparing the conditions for peace now. It is our responsibility (…) This peace will be even more possible and credible if we are strong today and if we know how to be strong in the long term”, he concluded.
Listen to Emmanuel Macron’s speech here:
Emmanuel Macron speech, Munich conference, 17-02-2023
Emmanuel Macron leaves several future appeals
During his speech, Emmanuel Macron left several appeals, which should be taken into account in the future. In the first place, the French President said that it was necessary to reinvest “massively” in defense matters.
“I would like us to adopt an ambitious European defense program before the summer“, stressed the head of state.
Secondly, the French President recalled that account must be taken of the factor nuclearnotably because of increased fears of a nuclear conflict.
Afterwards, Macron left an appeal to rethink the security doctrine to secure “Europe’s place in any future discussions on gun control”.
Finally, the French President says it is necessary think about two mechanisms that will make it possible to avoid the “cycle of aggression that Europe has been experiencing in recent decades”.
Emmanuel Macron also said that he wants to organize a European defense conferencedue to the war in Ukraine.