Macron says EU needs to resume contacts with Putin
19 December 13:11
Europe will have to find its own way to engage directly with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, rather than doing so through the United States, which is actively promoting peace talks.
This is reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the statement of French President Emmanuel Macron, quoted by Bloomberg.
“Either a lasting peace will be achieved, or we will find ways for Europeans to resume a dialogue with Russia – in transparency and association with Ukraine. It will be useful to talk to Vladimir Putin again,” the French president said.
Macron spoke after European Union leaders announced on the morning of December 19 that they had agreed to provide Ukraine with a €90 billion loan, abandoning the idea of confiscating Russia’s frozen assets.
But there is one more important issue, and that is that Europe demands a seat at the table for peace in Ukraine. The US has now taken over the peace process, but it is unclear whether Putin is ready to end the war, as Russia’s imperial ambitions appear to have not changed.
“We, Europeans and Ukrainians, are interested in finding the right structure to properly resume participation in this discussion. Otherwise, we will discuss it among ourselves with the negotiators, who will then go and discuss it with the Russians on their own. This is not ideal,” Macron said in his speech.
