Largely ignored by the French and international media, these are Macron’s comments in Romania on Russia. While playing all sorts of games, in terms of perception and personal image, Macron reflects some of the real worries in Europe which are aware of the rolling shock waves in the areas of food and energy that will destabilize many regions, especially Africa. Answering journalists on June 15, French President Emmanuel Macron, during his visit to French NATO troops in Romania, said the following:
“But we want to build peace. This means that at some point we all want the firing to cease and the discussions to resume. I simply used this formula, in constant connection with President Zelenskyy, as he perfectly understood, to repeat that we Europeans share a continent. And since geography is stubborn, it happens that at the end of it, Russia continues to be there. It is there today, it was there yesterday, it will be there tomorrow. And Russia is an endowed power. And so I have never shared the view that today we would wage war on the Russian people and that tomorrow we would want to annihilate them, because that is what is sometimes said…. No! Because at some point, when we have helped [Ukraine] as much as possible to resist, when, I hope, Ukraine has won and above all when the firing has stopped, we must negotiate. The Ukrainian President, and his leaders, will have to negotiate with Russia, and we Europeans will be around the table, bringing with us a guarantee of security, these are elements that belong to our continent. This is the reality of things and this is the only principle that I simply recalled. At some point, it will come. And therefore any excessive talk will not allow this moment to come. But our future is at stake.” (https://www.bfmtv.com/politique/emmanuel-macron-a-un-moment-donne-le-president-ukrainien-devra-negocier-avec-la-russie_VN-202206150244.html)