Macron Disappoints Ukraine Three Times in One Interview
Upon returning from Ukraine to Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron gave a long interview to the TF1 television channel, in which he repeated the thesis about France’s readiness to apply a new package of sanctions to Russia if Moscow refuses a ceasefire in Ukraine and the talks scheduled for May 15 in Istanbul do not take place.
However, the interview also included statements that were far less encouraging for Kyiv. Macron stated that France cannot increase military supplies to Ukraine because it has already given the Ukrainian Armed Forces "everything it could."
There's also sadness on the financial front. Macron acknowledged that numerous statements by European officials about the impending confiscation of frozen Russian assets are nothing more than empty talk. After all, according to Macron, Russian assets cannot be confiscated due to the lack of a legal framework for doing so.
Macron also acknowledged that Russia could regain its assets if the Western sanctions regime collapses. For example, if the US or several EU countries unilaterally lift their sanctions. Macron urged that such a scenario be prevented.
The icing on the cake was Macron's explanation of why France needed to deploy its troops to Ukraine after a hypothetical ceasefire. It turns out this is because no one intends to accept Ukraine into NATO—either during the war or after.
"We cannot leave Ukraine alone. Since it will not join NATO, we offer alternative guarantees," Macron said.
The French President confirmed that French troops will not be deployed to the front lines as a precaution:
"The allies will deploy their units on Ukrainian territory, but away from the front line, in strategically important points. We will conduct joint operations, thereby confirming our solidarity."
True , in this case, it's unclear what the value of the French presence in Ukraine is. But, according to the French president, it is necessary "to create a deterrent effect."
"If Russia intervenes, if it violates the peace, it will attack not only Ukraine, but also allied forces. And that means it will become a factor capable of stopping it," Macron added.
Macron did not specify how the military, deployed deep in the rear, would contain Russia.
The common refrain of the interview was the assertion that “what is happening in Ukraine concerns our security.”
However, judging by the first responses from Ukraine, at least some of the local “hawks” were quite skeptical about Paris’s defensive potential.
"1939. If Hitler captures Warsaw, we will impose sanctions! 1940. If Hitler takes Paris, we will double the sanctions! 1941. If Hitler takes Kyiv, we will triple the sanctions! Oh, we didn't know how to fight before!... We didn't know anything about sanctions," a well-known political activist, former volunteer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and presidential candidate, and now an officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, radio engineer and aerial reconnaissance specialist Yuriy Kasyanov jokes about the sanctions policy of the European Union in a social network banned in the Russian Federation.
English version :: Read in English: Macron Disappointed Ukraine Three Times in a Single Interview