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France has never and will never advocate defeating Russia, says Macron

According to the President of France, "it is necessary that the Ukrainian offensive shake the Russian front and force Moscow back to the negotiating table"

PARIS, February 19. /TASS/. France has never advocated and will never advocate the defeat of Russia, the country’s president Emmanuel Macron said.

"I don't think, as some do, that we should seek Russia’s total defeat, attack it on its own territory," Macron said in a Sunday interview with the weekly Journal du Dimanche, commenting on his approach to the Ukrainian conflict in Ukraine, "They (the EU and NATO - TASS) would like to first and foremost defeat Russia. But this has never been and never will be France's position."

The newspaper noted that the leaders of EU and NATO countries "did not appreciate Macron's formula: 'You cannot humiliate Russia’."

According to the French head of state, "it is necessary for the Ukrainian offensive to shake the Russian front and force Moscow to return to the negotiating table". At the same time, the French leader noted that "neither side will be able to achieve a complete victory." The newspaper pointed out that "Ukraine cannot regain its borders on its own, since none of its allies is ready to send their troops to the theater of operations."

In addition, the president spoke out against the prolongation of the confrontation, pointing to the risk of "an endless conflict in which the main losers will be the Europeans".

In this context he reiterated the need to continue negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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Ukraine Vladimir Putin France Emmanuel Macron

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