During a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the French president estimated that Ukraine must be able to benefit from Western weapons to strike certain Russian bases. A position that could leave France alone.
Tuesday May 28, Emmanuel Macron agreed for the first time to authorize Ukraine to strike military targets in Russia with French missiles, during a Franco-German council of ministers and in the presence of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. “We must allow (the Ukrainians) to neutralize the military sites from which the missiles are fired, the military sites from which theUkraine is attacked” explained the President of the Republic. For him, “Russia has adapted its practices a little”, in particular by bombing Kharkiv from its soil and not from the occupied territories.
New announcements during the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings?
“If we tell them you do not have the right to reach the point from which the missiles are fired, in fact we tell them, we are delivering weapons to you but you cannot defend yourself,” declared the head of the state. He completed his remarks by firmly ruling out affecting Russian “civilian capabilities”. New announcements regarding military support for Kyiv should be made during the visit of President Volodymyr Zelensky to France, on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Landings, on June 6, 2024. If Emmanuel Macron now clarifies his position, this is not the case for Olaf Scholz. The German Chancellor preferred to remain vague during this press conference this Tuesday. It still refuses to deliver its long-range Taurus missiles to kyiv. On the other hand, Berlin could authorize the use of German tanks on the front to target Russian territories. “It must be said clearly,” Ukraine “is under attack and can defend itself,” he says.
Putin warns of “escalation” which “can have serious consequences”
For his part, Vladimir Putin warned against the use of European weapons targeting Russian territory after Emmanuel Macron’s statements. He mentions potential “serious consequences”, particularly for “small countries, they must think about what they are playing with. They must remember that they are very often States with a small territory and a very dense population” when a press briefing in Uzbekistan. “This factor is a serious thing that they must have in mind before talking about striking deep into Russian territory. This permanent escalation can have serious consequences” warns the master of the Kremlin.
The United States is opposed to the use of American weapons to strike Russian soil. “Our position has not changed. We do not encourage or permit the use of weapons supplied by the United States to strike Russian soil,” said John Kirby, spokesperson for the National Security Council.for United States strategic communications. So, with his latest outing, far from being followed by his European neighbors, Emmanuel Macron may have engaged in open war with Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin.