Macron: Ukrainian people must decide on the conflict

by ANKASAM Ekip

French President Emmanuel Macron intends to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin again, the head of state said in an interview with CBS following his US state visit on Saturday, APA reports.

Macron gave an interview to TF1 and LCI after his four-day state visit to the US, where he discussed the situation in Ukraine with US President Joe Biden. According to Macron, both countries are united in their desire to see an end to the conflict.

“I will talk again to President Putin after having had the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” he said, adding that the most important thing was “to ensure that there is no escalation on civilian nuclear power”, as fighting around the Zaporizhzhia power plant raises fears of a nuclear disaster.

“We must do everything to put pressure on Russia to return to the negotiating table,” Macron said, adding that, ultimately, it is up to the Ukrainian people to decide the way forward and the agenda.

“The Ukrainian people must decide,” Macron said, drawing a parallel with French history and the occupation of its easternmost provinces after the 1871 war.

“Do you think that when we had to live through the capture of Alsace and Lorraine, we would have liked a world leader to tell us to do this or that? […] It is up to the Ukrainian people to decide for themselves under what conditions, how, when, not to us.”, the French president insisted.

He also discussed “the security architecture in which we want to live tomorrow” with Biden, mentioning Putin’s fears of an eastward NATO expansion. “This subject will be part of the factors for peace, and therefore it must also be prepared: what are we ready to do, how we protect our allies and member states while giving guarantees for its own security to Russia the day it returns to the negotiating table?” he added.

Biden, for his part, said he would only contact his Russian counterpart if he showed a willingness to end the war in Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron intends to hold talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin again, the head of state said in an interview following his US state visit on Saturday.

Macron gave an interview to TF1 and LCI after his four-day state visit to the US, where he discussed the situation in Ukraine with US President Joe Biden. According to Macron, both countries are united in their desire to see an end to the conflict.

“I will talk again to President Putin after having had the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency,” he said, adding that the most important thing was “to ensure that there is no escalation on civilian nuclear power,” as fighting around the Zaporizhzhia power plant raises fears of a nuclear disaster.

“We must do everything to put pressure on Russia to return to the negotiating table,” Macron said, adding that, ultimately, it is up to the Ukrainian people to decide the way forward and the agenda.

“The Ukrainian people must decide,” Macron said, drawing a parallel with French history and the occupation of its easternmost provinces after the 1871 war.

“Do you think that when we had to live through the capture of Alsace and Lorraine, we would have liked a world leader to tell us to do this or that? […] It is up to the Ukrainian people to decide for themselves under what conditions, how, when, not to us.”, the French president insisted.

He also discussed “the security architecture in which we want to live tomorrow” with Biden, mentioning Putin’s fears of an eastward NATO expansion. “This subject will be part of the factors for peace, and therefore it must also be prepared: what are we ready to do, how we protect our allies and member states while giving guarantees for its own security to Russia the day it returns to the negotiating table?” he added.

Biden, for his part, said he would only contact his Russian counterpart if he showed a willingness to end the war in Ukraine.

“I’m prepared if he’s willing to talk to find out what he’s willing to do,” Biden said at a White House news conference following talks with Macron. “But I’ll only do it in consultation with my NATO allies. I’m not going to do it alone,” he added.

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