Emmanuel Macron met with leading members of French parties on Thursday to clarify his position on Ukraine and find a common line.
The background is the French President's surprising statement that he does not rule out sending troops to Ukraine, thus threatening a direct confrontation with Russia.
Participants reported French mediaMacron insisted on his position during the meeting. “I arrived feeling anxious, and I am leaving even more anxious,” Manuel Bompard, a lawmaker for the left-wing France Abid party, told reporters. Fabien Roussel of the Communist Party said that Macron showed a map of Ukraine and said that the advance of Russian forces “towards Odessa or Kiev” could lead to French intervention.
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“There are no borders and no red lines,” Jordan Bardella, leader of the right-wing populist National Rally party, concluded as he left the Elysee Palace. According to Bardella's account, he stressed during the three-hour meeting with Macron that „France itself will not go to war with Russia.” He described the French President's position as „irresponsible and extremely dangerous to world peace.”
LR party leader Eric Ciotti He also expressed his concern He condemned Macron's position as a „tool for campaign purposes for the European elections.”
Moscow: Macron increases France's „involvement” in the Ukrainian conflict
In a video posted on Telegram on Thursday, Vladimir Putin's spokesman also condemned Macron. Dmitry Peskov said: „Mr. Macron is convinced of his policy, which aims to inflict a strategic defeat on our country.” Peskov added that this „increases the level of France's direct involvement” in the Ukrainian conflict.
But Peskov also pointed out “contradictions” in Macron’s statements on February 26, when he “did not rule out” sending Western ground forces to Ukraine. This caused unrest among France's NATO allies, most of whom immediately rejected such a deployment of troops, including Germany. Macron then defended his words, but at the same time stressed that he rejected any “escalation” with Moscow. On Tuesday, he called on Ukraine's allies not to be „cowardly” towards Russia.