Dispute between Morawiecki and Macron: “Talks give Putin credibility”

Polish Prime Minister Morawiecki had criticized French President Macron for his phone calls with Kremlin boss Putin. Macron then reacted with little diplomacy. In the daily topics Morawiecki repeated his allegations.

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Union has shown demonstrative unity. But at least between France and Poland it is over for the time being.

The trigger is the criticism by Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki of the talks between French President Emmanuel Macron and Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin. “How often have you negotiated with Putin and what have you achieved? You don’t debate and negotiate with criminals. Criminals have to be fought,” Morawiecki said last Monday. Nor did anyone negotiate with Adolf Hitler.

Macron rejected the criticism. He spent “hours” in talks with the Russian head of state, Macron told the readers of “Le Parisien” on Thursday. “Every discussion is marked by cynicism, it’s never a pleasure.” But it is his “duty” to maintain the dialogue with Putin.

Macron calls Morawiecki a “far-right anti-Semite”

In addition, Macron sharply attacked the Polish head of government in an interview with the newspaper “Le Parisien”. The French president called him a “far-right anti-Semite who bans LGBT”. Macron also accused Morawiecki of meddling in the French election campaign and pointed to his closeness to his right-wing populist presidential rival Marine Le Pen.

“Talks give Putin more credibility”

in the daily topicsinterview, Morawiecki now defended his point of view. Talking to Putin doesn’t help, on the contrary: “If you talk to Putin, you only give him more credibility. I think he’s lost all credibility.”

Putin is at the head of this “war machine”. He is personally responsible for “all the war crimes and for the genocide that is currently happening throughout Ukraine,” said Poland’s head of government, while at the same time alluding to the sanctions against Russia, which he felt were insufficient: “If my words make a contribution to strengthening , more effective sanctions, then I would have achieved my main goal, because the main goal is to help Ukraine to defend its sovereignty”.

Sanctions don’t work

This war will either be won militarily, “and Ukraine is desperately trying to do that, or we will win the war economically.” So far, however, “nothing significant has been achieved”. It is important to shake up the public and to get “away from interest-based political approaches” and “towards a politics of conscience”.

In any case, talks with Putin would not end the war. In Moscow there is not the “necessary will” for a peaceful solution. The negotiations are part of a “postponement tactic”. “Negotiations are being conducted here, but they are artificial in nature. And these criminal acts of genocide by the Russians are continuing, even while the negotiations are ongoing.”