 "French President Emmanuel Macron delivers his speech to French ambassadors posted around the world at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Monday. Reuters")
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday urged Ukraine to have a realistic position on territorial issues as part of efforts to bring about a negotiation with Russia, saying he saw no “quick and easy solution” to the conflict.
As Russian invasion of Ukraine heads into a fourth year, Moscow is currently occupying about 20 per cent of the neighbouring country’s territory.
“The Ukrainians need to hold a realistic discussion on the territorial questions and only they can do that, and the Europeans are counting on building security guarantees that will be their responsibility,” Reuters quoted Macron as saying while addressing the French ambassadors at an annual conference to outline the strategy for the year.
Macron’s comments were the first time he had suggested that Kyiv should consider a position beyond seeking to regain all territory seized by Russia.
Macron said the US’ role should be to convince Russia to come to the negotiation table while adding that no solution to the conflict could be agreed without the direct involvement of Ukraine and Europe.
Macron reiterated that Ukraine’s allies needed to ensure that Kyiv has enough backing so that it can enter any negotiations from a position of strength. He made no specific new commitments to help Ukraine.
“There will not be a quick and easy solution,” Macron said, referring to US President-elect Donald Trump’s promise to end the war quickly.
Moscow, which annexed Crimea in 2014, launched a full-blown invasion of Ukraine in Feb. 2022 and currently controls about a fifth of the country, including most of the eastern Donbas region.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsUS President-elect Donald Trump has promised to bring a swift end to nearly three years of fighting, without offering any concrete proposals for a ceasefire or peace deal.
Both sides are looking to secure a better position on the battlefield before Trump’s January 20 inauguration.
“The new American president knows himself that the United States has no chance of winning anything if Ukraine loses,” AFP quoted Macron as saying.
He also warned that the credibility of Western countries would be “shattered” if they agreed to compromise on Ukraine because of “fatigue.”
“A capitulation by Ukraine cannot be good for Europeans and Americans,” the French president said.
With inputs from agencies