The dialogue. Again and despite everything. In the midst of rising geopolitical fever around the fate of Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron does not deviate from his mantra: we must talk to Russia, and hang on, even when the discussion seems hopeless.
The telephone exchange that was to take place on Friday, January 28, between Vladimir Putin and the Head of State is part of the same objective: “continue the dialogue”, hammered the spokesman of the government, Gabriel Attal, at the end of the council of ministers, Wednesday. The French president, worried to see that tempers are rising, both in Europe and in the United States, in the face of the presumed imminence of a Russian army offensive in Ukraine, intends both “to push Russia to clarify its positions” vis-à-vis Kiev, underlines Mr. Attal, and to become the ambassador of a hoped-for de-escalation.
Certainly, less than three months before an election where Emmanuel Macron should play for his re-election, a major geopolitical crisis can allow him to establish his stature. In 2008, didn’t Nicolas Sarkozy distinguish himself during the war between Georgia and Russia? France, which as today occupied the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU), had been a key player in the resolution of the conflict. If the Ukrainian crisis continues, or degenerates, there is no doubt that the head of state will want to argue that he plays a role, in direct contact with the major protagonists of the conflict, Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin. With a first difficulty from the outset: being accepted at a table where no one has invited him, the Kremlin demanding an exclusive dialogue with Washington.
In France, from the extreme right to the extreme left, several of Mr. Macron’s rivals display their proximity or their concern for appeasement with the Kremlin. What to explain the ” the same time “ of the outgoing president? Convinced pro-European, defender of the strategic autonomy of the Twenty-Seven, he would not intend to leave too much space in France for the asserted pro-Russians, even if it means robbing a good part of the continent, in favor of the greatest firmness with Moscow.
Charm Operation
Paradoxically, the sounds of boots on the border of Ukraine give, wants to believe the French president, a new meaning to a conviction hammered without slackening nor great success so far. Barely elected Emmanuel Macron had received Vladimir Poutine at the Palace of Versailles. Outstretched hand on one side, criticism on the other, which came after the emails of the En Marche candidate’s team were hacked! and the spread in Russian state media of rumors about his private life.
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