Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has sparked outrage in Kiev and Paris by suggesting that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine could end with new referenda in the occupied territories.
“Ukrainians … will want to reclaim what has been unjustly taken from them”, Sarkozy told the conservative newspaper on Wednesday Le Figaro. “But if they fail to manage them fully, the choice will be between a frozen conflict … or follow the path of referenda under the strict supervision of the international community.”he added.
Speaking specifically of the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, the former French leader said that “any return to how it used to be is an illusion”. “An uncontested referendum… will be necessary to solidify the current state of affairs”continued.
Sarkozy insisted that Russian leader Vladimir Putin “wasn’t being unreasonable”.
The former French president argued that a deal with the Russian president could be struck with the right kind of diplomacy from Europe, referring to Russia’s 2008 invasion of Georgia when he said he had “convinced Putin to withdraw his tanks”.
“Russia is Europe’s neighbor and will remain so”he claimed. “Diplomacy, discussion and talks remain the only way to reach an acceptable solution. Nothing is possible without compromise”he added.
Sarkozy also argued that Ukraine should remain “neutral” and has no place in the European Union or NATO.
“Shameful”
Sarkozy’s remarks immediately provoked a reaction from Kiev. Mykhailo Podolyak – an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky – said the statements were based on “criminal logic”.
“You cannot trade other people’s territory because you are afraid of someone or because you are friends with criminals”added Podolyak.
While in office, Sarkozy “intentionally participated in a criminal conspiracy for the conquest of Ukrainian territories by Russia,” he charged.
The former president, who has spent much of his time fighting a string of lawsuits since leaving office, has also been attacked at home in France.
Sarkozy “should be considered a Russian influencer,” Julien Bayou, a senior Green Party lawmaker, told broadcaster LCI that the interview was “insane” and “shocking.”
Bayou recalled an ongoing investigation into Sarkozy’s lucrative ties to a Russian insurance company on suspicion of influence and concealment of crimes.
Sarkozy’s former intelligence adviser, Jerome Poirot, told LCI that the former president’s words were “disgraceful”. “He doesn’t have the perspective of what happened or what he did” during his tenure between 2007 and 2012, Poirot said.
Sarkozy, he recalled, was one of the leading voices against the entry of Georgia and Ukraine into NATO in 2008, which failed to prevent subsequent invasions by Russia in either country.
“What were President Sarkozy’s red lines? What was his vision for France’s security? Just give in to what Vladimir Putin wanted?” interrogated.
In contrast, former Russian President and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev welcomed Sarkozy’s comments, calling them “as bold as they are accurate.”
Source: DN
