PARIS, June 14. /TASS/. France and Russia are historically linked and went through two world wars together so they should cooperate to unify Europe and ensure security on the continent, French economist Pierre de Gaulle, the grandson of General Charles de Gaulle, the founder of the Fifth Republic said.
"Our people are linked by many years of friendship and the blood shed against Nazis," he said at a reception marking Russia’s Day at the Russian Embassy in Paris. "I came here to assert once again loud and clear that it is in France’s interests to maintain good relations with Russia as well as to say that we should work together for the sake of the unification and security of our continent, for the sake of maintaining balance, progress and peace in the entire world," he explained.
He reiterated that his grandfather who ruled France after the Second World War placed great significance on the relations between Paris and Moscow. During his address, which Pierre de Gaulle began with a greeting in Russian, he quoted his grandfather several times, for instance, his remarks that Napoleon’s invasion of Russia was a mistake and that actually "France never viewed Russia as an enemy" and he "had never sent and was not going to send arms to people who would wage war against Soviet Russia."
"He loved Russia. My family and I love Russia and its people. The Russian people whose property rights are being so unfairly violated worldwide," he said, criticizing restrictions introduced against Russian athletes and cultural figures, expressing an opinion that a major share of responsibility for the Ukrainian conflict lies with the US and NATO.
"Unfortunately, the West allowed Zelensky, his oligarchs and neo-Nazi military groups to get drawn into a war spiral. This had serious repercussions for Ukrainian people," Pierre de Gaulle said.