Macron: Russia needs ‘security guarantees’ to end the war in Ukraine

The West ought to think about methods to handle Russia’s want for safety ensures if President Vladimir Putin agrees to negotiations about ending the battle in Ukraine, his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron mentioned on Saturday.

In an interview with French TV station TF1 recorded throughout his state go to to the US final week, Macron mentioned Europe wants to organize its future safety structure.

“Which means one of many important factors we should handle — as President Putin has at all times mentioned — is the concern that NATO comes proper as much as its doorways and the deployment of weapons that would threaten Russia,” Macron mentioned.

“That subject shall be a part of the subjects for peace, so we have to put together what we’re able to do, how we defend our allies and member states, and methods to give ensures to Russia the day it returns to the negotiating desk,” Macron mentioned.

Macron’s feedback have drawn criticism from some quarters, with the likes of Lithuania’s former minister of defence and overseas affairs, Linas Linkevicius, blasting the concept that concessions must be made to the Kremlin.

“Russia has all safety ensures if it doesn’t assault, annex or occupy its neighbours,” Linkevicius mentioned on Twitter Sunday.

“If anybody desires to create a brand new safety structure that enables a terrorist state to proceed its strategies of intimidation, they need to assume once more, it’s going to (not) fly.”

Russia and the US have each mentioned this week they’re open to talks in precept, although President Joe Biden mentioned he would solely discuss to Putin if the Kremlin chief confirmed he was all in favour of ending the battle. 

Ukraine says negotiations are potential provided that Russia stops attacking and pulls out its troops.

Many in Ukraine and the West are strongly against any negotiation with Putin that will reward him with concessions after practically 10 months of the battle, particularly as Ukraine has pushed again Russian forces from massive areas previously three months.

However Macron’s remarks recommended he was sympathetic to Moscow’s want for safety ensures — a requirement that was the main focus of intense however failed diplomacy within the run-up to the battle.

On 8 February, Putin mentioned at a joint information convention with Macron in Moscow that Russia would hold attempting to acquire solutions from the West to its important three safety calls for.

These embody no extra NATO enlargement, no missile deployments close to its borders, and a scaling again of NATO’s army infrastructure in Europe to 1997 ranges.

The US mentioned on the time that the Russian calls for had been “non-starters”.