French President Emmanuel Macron’s statements that the West should consider what security guarantees they can offer to Russia have caused a wave of criticism from Kyiv and the Baltic states, Reuters writes.
Macron told the French TV channel TF1 that Europe should build a security structure for the future, and he believes that security guarantees should also be given to Russia when it is ready to sit at the negotiating table. The adviser to the President of Ukraine, Mykhailo Podolyak, answered that the world should receive security guarantees from Russia, not the other way around.
Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, said that the only guarantee of peace for both Ukraine and the world would be a demilitarized Russia without nuclear weapons.
Macron last week visited the United States and discussed the situation in Ukraine with President Joe Biden. Afterward, Biden announced at a press conference that he was ready for talks with Putin. Several rounds of negotiations that took place at the beginning of the war did not bring success.
Kyiv says further negotiations are possible only if Russia stops its attacks and its army leaves all occupied territories.
The Kremlin, in turn, demands that the West recognize its occupied territories in Ukraine as part of Russia before negotiations begin.
Macron’s announcement also sparked criticism from the Baltic states and Finland, which see Russia as a growing security threat. The former prime minister of Finland, Alexander Stubb, stated that he fundamentally disagrees with Macron.
Stubb wrote on Twitter: «The security guarantees we need to look at are not for Russia. Russia must first guarantee that it will not attack others.»
Former Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicus stated that Russia has security guarantees as long as it refrains from attacking its neighbors and annexing or occupying their territories. He added that anyone who thinks they should build a security structure that allows a terrorist state to continue to intimidate others should think again.
Ukrainian delegate David Arakhamia, who previously participated in negotiations with Russia, said that Ukraine would be ready to give Russia guarantees, but with certain conditions, which include the complete withdrawal of the Russian army from Ukraine.
Macron already drew criticism in May when he said that Russia should not be humiliated so as not to complicate negotiations.
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