According to Reuters, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, and Slovakia have lodged a formal protest against Macron’s Dec. 3 statement regarding Russia’s security needs. Earlier this month, Macron told the French TF1 TV channel : “We need to prepare what we are ready to do, how we protect our allies and member states, and how to give guarantees to Russia the day it returns to the negotiating table.”
Macron’s statement was immediately rebuked by Ukraine and Baltic states. The French government attempts to downplay the significance of Macron’s statements were unsuccessful, leading to the protest by Slovakia, Poland, and their Baltic neighbors. Citing diplomatic sources, Reuters reported that the Czech Republic, which now holds the EU Council presidency, had assisted in preparing the demarche, which was delivered to the French foreign ministry. However, it is not clear whether Prague itself, or any other nations, backed the document, the report adds.
