Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an interview published on Sunday that French leader Emmanuel Macron was wasting time considering any dialogue with Russia.
Speaking to Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Zelenskiy responded to Macron’s suggestion that Russia should be “defeated but not crushed” and that the conflict in Ukraine would have to be resolved through negotiations.
The two presidents spoke by phone on Sunday. “It will be a useless dialogue. Macron is actually wasting his time. I have come to the conclusion that we are not able to change Russia’s position,” Zelenskiy told the Italian daily.
“If they have chosen to isolate themselves in the dream of rebuilding the old Soviet empire, there is nothing we can do about it. It is up to them to decide whether or not to cooperate with the Commonwealth of Nations based on mutual respect.” He dismissed any suggestion that it was Western sanctions that had isolated Russian President Vladimir Putin. “It was instead the decision to go to war that marginalized Putin,” he said.
On Friday, Macron called on allies to increase military support for Ukraine.
In an interview with the Journal du Dimanche, he also said he did not believe in regime change, that there was little chance of a democratic solution from within Russian civil society and no alternative to bringing Putin back to the negotiating table.
The comments prompted Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova to say France should remember the defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte in Russia in the 19th century. Macron has drawn criticism from some NATO allies for delivering mixed messages regarding his policy in the Ukraine-Russia war.
Describing their conversation on Sunday, Zelenskiy did not mention Macron’s latest comments. The leaders discussed strategies, including joint decisions, which Zelensky said should be made before the first anniversary of the Russian invasion this week.
Ahead of a brief visit to Paris this month, Zelensky said the French president’s tougher stance on Russia in recent months showed he had undergone a significant change.
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