Emmanuel Macron optimistic after his interview with Vladimir Putin
Campaign chronicle. 11:48 p.m. “The next few days will be decisive.” It is with these words that Emmanuel Macron described the situation between Ukraine and Russia after his interview with Vladimir Putin for nearly 6 hours, this Monday, in Moscow. The two presidents held a joint press conference. Emmanuel Macron was optimistic about a de-escalation in the Ukrainian crisis. “We are now aware of the seriousness of the situation, and of finding the way to preserving peace. I deeply believe that there is still time”, indicated the French president before adding that the “next days will be decisive and involve lively discussions”. According to him, “concrete security guarantees” have been offered to Russia. “President Putin assured me of his readiness to commit to this logic and of his desire to maintain the stability and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” added the French president during a press conference. common, evoking “terms of convergence” between Russia and France.
For his part, Vladimir Putin considered that some of his French counterpart’s ideas for defusing the crisis with Ukraine could make it possible to move the file forward. “Some of his ideas, his proposals (…) are possible to lay the foundations for common progress”, he admitted adding that he was ready for certain “compromises”. However, he recalled the demands he set for a de-escalation in this crisis with “the non-expansion of NATO and the non-deployment of combat systems on Russian borders”. To continue his diplomatic tour, Emmanuel Macron will meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on Tuesday, February 8.
In Moscow, a double or quits meeting with Putin
Campaign column for February 7, 2022. 3:50 p.m. A stature of President of the Republic, a costume of almost a candidate for the presidential election and, from now on, a blue helmet screwed on the head. Emmanuel Macron is tackling a major challenge this Monday, February 7, 2022: that of starting to defuse the crisis between Russia and Ukraine. The Head of State meets his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Moscow to initiate “de-escalation” after the head of the Kremlin dispatched tens of thousands of soldiers to the Russian-Ukrainian border. Accusations of a future invasion of Ukraine on one side, only preventive presence on the other… The versions diverge and have put the main heads of state on edge since October, the date of the first Russian maneuvers . “Our role is preventive. We must lower the tension through dialogue and avoid an armed conflict,” said Emmanuel Macron, with the JDD.
It must be said that since 2014 and the change of government, Ukraine has been quicker to get closer to Westerners than to be closely linked with its neighbor with whom it formed part of the USSR. Which does not seem to be to the liking of Vladimir Putin, who is putting pressure on, after annexing Crimea in 2014. According to American Intelligence, the device deployed by Russia is indeed akin to a major invasion. To prevent a new Russian offensive, Emmanuel Macron wants to take matters into his own hands and force Vladimir Putin to initiate discussions with the European Union, he who has always favored direct exchanges with Joe Biden and the United States. The French president has already exchanged three times in recent days with his Russian counterpart. “The intensity of the dialogue that we have had with Russia and this visit to Moscow are likely to prevent that from happening. Then we will discuss the terms of the de-escalation”, explains the president who nevertheless calls for “being very realistic: we will not obtain unilateral gestures, but it is essential to avoid a deterioration of the situation”. Same story in the Kremlin. “The situation is too complex to expect decisive breakthroughs after a single meeting,” explained Dmitri Peskov, the Russian president’s spokesman, adding that “Macron told Putin that he was coming with ideas in the quest for relaxation.
For Emmanuel Macron, this is a perilous exercise. If he manages to truly begin the “de-escalation”, the President of the Republic will expand his international stature with, in sight, the organization of a summit in Paris, bringing together France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine. Enough to answer his political opponents for the presidential election that his choice to focus on crisis management, including this one, was the right choice before entering the campaign. And, above all, to appear as the one who, in the European Union, negotiated directly with Vladimir Putin and made it possible to maintain the balance on the continent. But if the Head of State did not manage to convince his interlocutor to set terms for easing tensions, he would only come out more weakened, appearing as the voice of the sixth nation in the world which is unable to make heard. A risky balancing act, quits or doubles.
Emmanuel Macron in the lead in the latest poll
February 7 campaign chronicle. 12:28. The latest poll, conducted by OpinionWay and published on Monday February 7, gives Emmanuel Macron the lead in the first round of the presidential election and with a comfortable lead (24%).
Emmanuel Macron has still not formalized his candidacy for the presidential election of 2022, yet he has already admitted to having “very much wanted” to get into the race. The announcement of a candidacy could however take place shortly, the President of the Republic has indeed made it known that he was waiting for a lull in the epidemic situation to make his decision known. Despite the absence of an official candidacy, Emmanuel Macron seems to be starting a campaign that does not say his name and is increasing his travels and speaking out on various subjects which also happen to be strategic campaign themes.