its president France, Emmanuel Macronlaunched a furious “accusation” against Russia, emphasizing that its aggression in Ukraine “must fail” and say that Vladimir Putin deprived his country of the prestige that he promised to give it after the collapse of the USSR.

Russia “bears full responsibility for the devastating consequences” of the war in Ukraine, the French president said at the Munich Security Conference a week before the first anniversary of the Russian invasion.

Macron has been heavily criticized for continuing negotiations with Putin after the outbreak of war on February 24, 2022, and for calling for “Russia not to be humiliated” in a future peace deal. Now their contacts have ceased – although Paris denies that the dialogue was interrupted – and Emmanuel Macron calls for support for Kyiv “until the victory” of Ukraine.

“Russia cannot and must not win this war, and Russian aggression must be defeated, because we cannot accept that the illegal use of force will become commonplace, because otherwise European security will be at stake and, more generally, global security. stability,” he said. emphasized.

“Failures” of Putin.

Macron then listed Putin’s military “failures” over the past year and the fact that he has been pushing Ukraine towards the EU and NATO. It was assumed that “this attack will be quick, that Ukraine will not resist and that it will be a matter of days or weeks,” he recalled. The result was “the strengthening of Ukraine and its forces” and the decision of Sweden and Finland to join NATO, he said.

“Perhaps the biggest mistake today is that of Putin, who did not give Russia what he promised it, namely its prestige,” noting that the country’s GDP is “mediocre” and demographically declining.

“If you want to secure your future, you will need crazy dreams. Either you dream of growth and innovation, a new Europe based on peace and education, or you will revive the old imperial dream based on hegemony and aggression,” Macron said. The French President also accused Moscow of spreading “imbalance and disorder” not only in the territory of the former USSR, but also in the Middle East and Africa through the Wagner mercenary organization.

^{Source: APE-MEB, AFP.}