A relationship he wanted strong from the start of his first five-year term, but one that quickly deteriorated. Invited as part of the program Les Rencontres du Papotin broadcast this Saturday on France 2, Emmanuel Macron spoke at length about the relationship he had with Vladimir Putine. At first, he wanted to highlight the personality of the man who has been the Kremlin’s strongman since the early 2000s.
“First, when you meet him like this, it’s not unpleasant, it’s the paradox,” he begins.
“I think it’s wrong”
On the other hand, when addressing the Ukrainian conflict, the President of the Republic harshly criticized Vladimir Putin. “I don’t think there’s anything that justifies starting a war,” he begins.
“He tried to explain that it was Ukraine that was threatening him because through Ukraine it was the Europeans and the Americans who wanted to threaten Russia’s security. I think that is not true”, adds Emanuel Macron.
“And basically he decided to launch this war to recover territories, extend Russia again and recover the perimeter of the Empire that could have existed,” he concludes, in front of several dozen journalists with autistic disorders who ask him questions.
Direct line with Putin
Since the start of the Ukrainian conflict in February 2022, Emmanuel Macron has been one of the few leaders who has wanted to maintain a direct relationship with Vladimir Putin, as evidenced by the various telephone conversations organized in the last eight months. A line that has earned him criticism, but that he justifies as necessary to help make peace between Russia and Ukraine.
However, the President of the Republic has continuously shown his support for the Ukrainian people, but also for his army. This week, France thus became the first Western country to announce that it was handing over armored vehicles to Kyiv.
Source: BFM TV
