After speaking with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, French President Emmanuel Macron warned the international community that the “worst is yet to come in Ukraine.” The 90-minute call offered little hope about war waning anytime soon as Kremlin stays determined to continue its assault on Ukraine.
I spoke to President Putin this morning. He refuses to stop his attacks on Ukraine at this point. It is vital to maintain dialogue to avoid human tragedy. I will continue my efforts and contacts. We must avoid the worst.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) March 3, 2022
An anonymous senior French official said Macron was pessimistic following the call. “Our analysis of the military operations is that the Russian ambitions are to take control of all of Ukraine,” the official said, adding, “There is nothing in what President Putin said that should reassure us.”
Furthermore, the French official said that Putin repeated his grievances and blamed the West for forcing him to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Additionally, Putin reiterated his demands—the demilitarisation of Ukraine—but was quickly rebuffed by Macron.
“Macron told Putin that he was making a serious mistake and was deluding himself and looking for pretexts with his assertions that the Kyiv government was run by Nazis,” the official said. Macron also warned Putin of high costs, sanctions, and isolation should the military assault continue.
The call was reportedly requested by the Kremlin and was the third discussion between the two leaders since the beginning of the invasion last week.
It was Putin who called Macron today, according to the Elysée. The call lasted an hour and a half. Macron told Putin: "you are lying to yourself". "There was nothing that Putin said that reassured us", a source in the presidency said. France is preparing for the worst
— Sophie Pedder (@PedderSophie) March 3, 2022
Meanwhile, the Kremlin said Putin disagreed with several points raised by his French counterpart. “Russian President noted that Emmanuel Macron’s address did not say a word about Ukrainian authorities sabotaging the Minsk Agreements for seven years, as well as about the West’s and France’s own failure to do anything to force Kyiv to implement them,” state-owned media outlet TASS wrote.
Furthermore, the press release noted the West’s silence on the years-long genocide in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, which it claims has led to the death of several people and forced thousands to seek shelter in Russia. The statement also touched on Putin’s earlier remarks that he is seeking to ‘de-Nazify’ Ukrain. “Vladimir Putin disagreed […] with many voiced points. In particular, this includes Macron’s claim, in which he called it a lie that Russia is fighting Nazism in Ukraine. In this regard, [Putin] provided a substantiated explanation regarding neo-Nazis’ significant role in Kyiv’s state policy,” it said.
The press release also mentioned that Putin is determined to complete his military actions in Ukraine despite international condemnation and sanctions, and warned that attempts to drag negotiations would only add to Moscow’s demands for Kyiv.
The Kremlin then noted Putin’s demand for the demilitarisation of Ukraine to avoid any threat to the Russian Federation. Lastly, Putin urged Macron to evacuate foreigners from Ukraine and expressed his willingness to cooperate with foreign partners to resolve the humanitarian crisis. In this regard, the Kremlin said Macron committed to doing the necessary work with Ukrainian authorities.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov welcomed France’s mediation efforts to resolve the Ukraine crisis on Thursday. Lavrov further noted the non-implementation of the Minsk Agreements by Ukraine.