The world faces the nuclear threat from Vladimir Putin. The French shaken by fuel shortages. The struggle of women and youth in Iran. Emmanuel Macron was the guest of the show The Event, on France 2, Tuesday evening. For an hour, he defended the interests of France and democracy.
Nuclear threat: Macron wants to “avoid any escalation”
Joe Biden has warned of the risks of an “Armageddon” in the event of a Russian tactical strike. Emmanuel Macron kicked into touch on the nuclear threat agitated by the master of the Kremlin, recalling only that France was also a country “equipped” with the atomic bomb and believed in “deterrence”.
“The less we talk about it”, the more credible it is, he slipped in substance. He claims to work to “avoid any escalation of the conflict”, so that it does not extend to a neighboring country of Ukraine and to prevent the use by Moscow of chemical or nuclear weapons.
Support for Ukraine: France will deliver anti-aircraft defense systems to kyiv, and calls on Putin to return to the negotiating table
“We are going to deliver radars, systems and (anti-aircraft) missiles to protect (the Ukrainians) from attacks, in particular to protect them from drone attacks,” said Emmanuel Macron. The French president also repeated that France was considering delivering additional Caesar guns to Ukraine. “We have delivered 18” since the start of the war, “we are working on the delivery of six additional guns with Denmark”, he declared, explaining that these six Caesars were initially intended for the Danish army. “We are trying to deliver them immediately to the Ukrainians,” he said.
The Head of State urged Putin to “come back around the discussion table”. The man who, despite criticism, including from Ukraine, has never broken off the dialogue with the master of the Kremlin since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, assured that he would continue to speak to him “every time will be needed”. “At some point, I hope as soon as possible, all the stakeholders will have to come back to a discussion table,” he added, while acknowledging that it will not be in the “coming weeks” .
Fuels: Macron plans to return to normal “in the course of next week”
The Elysée tenant again called on the management of TotalEnergies and the CGT to “responsibility”, hoping that the union “allow the country to function”. Emmanuel Macron insisted that it was “social dialogue” between management and unions to resolve disputes. “Social dialogue must live”, according to him. “But I say it very clearly: if the social dialogue does not succeed in the next few hours, we will requisition”, he warned. And to ensure that the situation would “return to normal” in the distribution of fuels “during the coming week”.
He recalled that this crisis had “nothing to do with the war” in Ukraine, but with social conflicts “in two companies, Exxon and Total, which made significant profits because the context is good for these companies, who have distributed a lot to their shareholders and who have social negotiations underway,” he explained. “I think there are sectors and certain players who consider that we can go ‘in the hard way’ right away, to speak colloquially”, he regretted. Also believing that it was “too easy” to “always pass the buck” to the government.
Iran: “We stand with” the demonstrators, says Macron
France stands “alongside” the Iranian demonstrators, insists Macron, who says his “admiration” for the “women” and “young people” who have been demonstrating since the death of a young woman three days after her arrest by the police of the manners in Tehran. He felt that these demonstrators carried “the universalism of our values”. “We stand alongside those who fight for these values”, insisted the head of state, ensuring “defend” and “support” what “is happening in Iran”. “France very clearly condemns the repression carried out today by the Iranian regime,” he said. He also described as “hostages” the five French people detained in Iran.