Russia today chided Emmanuel Macron for commenting on Russia’s defeat, saying that Moscow still remembers the fate of Napoleon Bonaparte and accusing the French president of being duplicitous with the Kremlin.

Macron told the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche that France wants Russia to be defeated in Ukraine, but never wanted it to be “crushed.”

“As for “never”: France did not begin with Macron, but the remains of Napoleon, revered at the state level, rest in the center of Paris. France – and Russia – must understand this,” said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

“Macron is generally invaluable,” she added, noting that the French president’s comments showed that the West was embroiled in discussions about a change of power in Russia, while Macron repeatedly asked for meetings with the Russian leadership.

Macron has come under fire from some NATO allies for the double messages he sends about his policies in the war between Ukraine and Russia, with some seeing Paris as a weak link in the Western alliance.

On Friday, Macron urged allies to step up military support for Ukraine, but also said he did not believe in regime change and that negotiations would have to be held at some point.

“Let’s be clear, I don’t believe in regime change for a second, and when I hear a lot of people calling for regime change, I ask them, “Which change?” Who is next; Who is your leader?

Elaborating on those comments, he told the newspaper that he did not believe a democratic solution through civil society would emerge in Russia after years of hardening Moscow and the conflict. He added that he sees no alternative to Putin, who had to return to the negotiating table.

“All options, except for Vladimir Putin, seem worse to me,” Macron said.

Source: Reuters.