Ukraine, Macron flies from Putin to Russia. USA and Eastern Europe turn up their noses
An ex ante surrender. There are also those who define the visit of this way Emmanuel Macron in Moscow, where he will meet Vladimir Putin on his return from Beijing. Just a few days ago, the Russian president was crowned “dear friend” by Chinese Xi Jinping at the inauguration of the 2022 Winter Olympic Gameswith the gift in exchange for a new maxi supply of gas through the Power of Siberia 2 which could affect Europe’s energy supply. But the tenant of the Elysée, perhaps also for this reason, shows the accommodating face to the bear dancing along the border of Ukraine and on the eastern flank of Europe.
To make some ally turn up their noses, give them United States to the countries of the north-eastern belt of Europe (i.e. those most exposed to Moscow’s movements) were also and above all the statements of Macron’s eve, who said in an interview with the Journal du Dimanche that for Western countries it is necessary to understand the fears of Russia and that they may have to make concessions to the Kremlin. “I have always been involved in an in-depth dialogue with President Putin and our responsibility is to build solutions of historic significance,” he added. “Russia’s geopolitical goal today is clearly not Ukraine, but to clarify the rules of coexistence with NATO and the EU“Macron said.
Unsurprisingly, this exit may not have been particularly popular with the White House and the Pentagon, where instead they are trying to convince European partners of the imminence of a possible Russian invasion. Macron shows he does not believe in the simplistic narrative of Ukraine, Tsar Putin’s hunting ground, but takes a step in the direction of Moscow which takes a further dimension in another statement that seems to open up the possibility of finding a median escape route: ” The security and sovereignty of Ukraine or any other European state cannot be compromised, while it is also legitimate for Russia to raise the question of its own security“Macron said.
Macron’s strategy for a thaw with Russia, Biden permitting
Words that seem to have been designed on purpose to guarantee a compromise capable of satisfying the reciprocal lines of rhetoric without letting anyone pass as defeated. Freezing of NATO enlargement to the east but reassurance on respect for Ukraine’s sovereignty, perhaps with some space for negotiation on the Donbass? It seems to Macron that this may be an acceptable development, much less around Washington. Also because the United States knows what Macron’s line is, still not comparable to theirs. Namely a rapprochement between Europe and Russia aimed not only at restarting diplomacy and trade but also at breaking the axis that is becoming increasingly solid between Moscow and Beijing.
“We must protect our European brothers by proposing a new balance capable of preserving their sovereignty and peace. This must be done respecting Russia and understanding the contemporary traumas of this great people and great nation”. What else can it mean but find a compromise? Macron has been flirting for years with the idea of readmitting the Kremlin to the table of the West, clashing with the firmness of the US but also within the EU. Suffice it to recall the first face to face in the Palace of Versailles in 2017, or the invitation to Putin at the fort of Bragançon, official residence of the French head of state. Even then the criticisms of the allies were many.
Now, thanks to the rotating presidency in the community and the complete spill of the United Kingdom (another sworn enemy of Moscow), he tries again. With another perspective in the background, namely that of elections in April in which Macron tries to get a second term at the Elysée, a feat that any French president has missed in the last two decades. And to do so, he relaunches his action on foreign policy, to show that Paris can really be the driving force of the European Union post Angela Merkel. Joe Biden permitting, given that the White House certainly does not look favorably on the autonomous thaw between Europe and Russia, as already demonstrated in the case of the North Stream 2 gas pipeline between Moscow and Berlin.
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