French President Emmanuel Macron made a my mistake in a speech in Bratislava, telling Eastern European countries that they should have listened when they warned of Russia’s growing belligerence before its invasion of Ukraine. And he argued that the West should give Kiev “tangible and credible” security guarantees, noting that this will be a topic to be discussed until the NATO summit in Vilnius in July. Today he will be in Chisinau for the second summit of the European Political Community, a forum involving 47 countries of the wider European area that he proposed a year ago. A meeting that serves to send an “important message” to Russia.
In a speech at a forum of the thinktank GLOBSEC, Macron defended that there should be no divisions between the “old Europe” and the “new Europe” and referred to a controversial phrase by former President Jacques Chirac – who said in 2003 that the countries of the East had “missed an opportunity” . to keep silent” when they sided with the US and UK in the invasion of Iraq. “Some said you missed an opportunity to be silent. I think we also missed an opportunity to listen to you. Those days are over”he said.
The president also defended the need to create “a European pillar in NATO” if Europe is to be “credible in the long run” in guaranteeing its security. “In the future, it is up to us Europeans to have our own ability to defend ourselves and manage our neighbors,” Macron said, recalling that “our geography will not change” and that “Russia will remain Russia, with the same limits”.
The invasion of Ukraine was “an electric shock”, shaking NATO from the “brain death” announced by the president himself in 2019. “We must now help Ukraine in every possible way to carry out an effective counter-offensive. This is essential. This is what we are doing. We must intensify it, because in the coming months stands the possibility of a Chosen and therefore lasting peace. “
Macron also argued that the time may come when he will have to choose between trying Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes and negotiating a way out of the conflict. “If we have a window to negotiate in the coming months, the issue will be the arbitration between a verdict and the negotiation and we have to negotiate,” he said. “We have to empower ourselves to say, ‘I want you to go to jail, but you’re the only one I can negotiate with,'” he said.
Today all eyes are on Chisinau, Moldova – where a heavyweight will be absent, the newly elected Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. At the second summit of the European Political Community, one of the messages to Russia concerns the place of the meeting – 20 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. “The event is a resolute reaffirmation of our unwavering commitment to peace, a strong condemnation of the Russian invasion, continued solidarity with Ukraine and a show of support for Moldova,” said the country’s president, Maia Sandu.
more weapons
The Pentagon announced on Wednesday a new weapons package, worth $300 million, for Ukraine. Since the invasion, the US has provided $37.6 billion in security assistance to the Ukrainian government. The new support comes at a time when the counterattack from Kiev is still awaited and drone strikes multiply against the Ukrainian capital – now that they have also reached the Russian one.
The Kremlin said Moscow, in response to Tuesday’s attack, does not intend to declare martial law. However, it removes children from areas near the border that have also been targeted by drone strikes in recent days. However, Russia claimed to have sunk the last major Ukrainian warship, the Yuri Olefirenk, which was in the port of Odessa. Ukraine did not comment.
With LUSA
Source: DN
