Putin is a Smart Man. Dialogue Must Continue: Macron

The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, has stated that it is difficult for him to confront negative realities in conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which he initiates at the request of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, according to Macron, dialogue with Putin must continue.

“Myself and Mario (referring to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi) have not spoken with him following the scenes in Bucha. We were all shocked and distressed. I have spoken with Putin every time Zelensky has asked me to. It must not be forgotten that it is the Ukrainian president who wants this communication. It is in this context that our role is useful,” said the current French president in an interview with Corriere della Sera.

Macron added that the presence of guarantor countries will be necessary for a future peace agreement, and if the leaders of European countries get tired and do not wish to talk to Putin, then the leaders of India, China, and Turkey will engage with him. In that case, peace in Europe, according to Macron, will be built by non-Europeans.

Even, Macron emphasized, if those discussions are ineffective, they must be continued. He agreed with the journalist that there is moral and psychological fatigue from numerous phone conversations with both Putin and Zelensky. Macron also mentioned that Putin is a smart man, who dedicated his first decade in office to shaping Russia's modern history but now shows clear tendencies to return to the imperial realities of the early twentieth century or even the nineteenth century, and regardless of everything, remains the leader of Russia.