“We must be prepared for a long war,” the French president said
French President Emmanuel Macron said today he would continue dialogue with Russia to help prevent an escalation of the war in Ukraine, but pledged Paris’ unwavering support for Kyiv, predicting the war would last.
In the past, Macron has faced criticism from Ukraine and Eastern European allies for his ambiguous-like criticism of Kyiv in the wake of Russia’s invasion of its neighbor and for his repeated dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“We must be prepared for a long war,” Macron said to French ambassadors to whom he outlined his foreign policy goals.
As the French president said, his country will continue long-term economic and military support of Kiev and the provision of humanitarian aid, but warned that one of the biggest challenges is to ensure European unity against Russia.
“European unity is crucial because division is one of the goals of the Russian war,” Macron said.
Dialogue with Moscow is imperative in order to avoid an escalation of the conflict and ultimately to set the conditions for a negotiated peace, which only Ukraine can decide, Macron said.
“France will continue to talk with Russia. Who wants Turkey to be the only power in the world that will still talk with Russia?”, he characteristically commented.
Macron also referred to the international agreement on the Iranian nuclear program of 2015, expressing the hope that its revival will be completed in the coming days.
“I hope that within the next few days the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) will be completed,” Macron noted.
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