French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Saturday that nations seeking to limit support for Ukraine are attempting to force an unjust peace. He stated on social media that such cuts represent a recipe for future conflict.
His comments arrived as Washington mediates discussions between Moscow and Kyiv to end the conflict that began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.
Those who want to ration aid to Ukraine wish underneath it all to force an unjust peace on it and, by extension, all of Europe, Macron said.
That is the spirit of defeat, he added. That is a recipe for another war. That cannot be France’s position.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky revealed in remarks released on Saturday that Washington proposed Kyiv cede land to Moscow in exchange for joining NATO.
US envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff met separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Zelensky on Thursday. Those meetings followed two days of talks in Abu Dhabi that ended without a breakthrough.
The negotiations produced an agreement for European nations to join future discussions about ending the war. European powers selected France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom and Poland in Dublin on Friday to send representatives.
Europe must take full part in the work to bring about a fair and lasting peace in Ukraine, Macron said. What happens in Ukraine concerns us directly, and helping Ukraine defend itself is protecting France and the French.
The French leader stated that allies must clearly outline their postwar vision to Russia and detail expectations from the United States regarding long-term European security.
Macron stated his belief that Vladimir Putin does not want to negotiate. He added that Moscow is attempting to break Ukraine by increasing drone and missile strikes against civilians and energy infrastructure ahead of winter.
That means we must keep up our financial backing and helping Ukraine protect its population, its power plants and its grids, he said.
