PARIS, November 26. /TASS/. If Europe does do not resolve the conflict in Ukraine and make peace with Russia, it will find itself drawn into a direct conflict with it and lose everything, said French politician and publicist, former Education Minister (2002-2004) Luc Ferry.
"Ukraine has lost the war today, and if we do not make peace, it is not difficult to understand what will happen: [the Russian army] will continue to advance to Kiev, and we will lose everything unless we declare war on Russia," he claimed on the LCI TV channel, commenting on the appeal Chief of the Defense Staff General Fabien Mandon to the French to be prepared "to lose their children" allegedly to deter Russia. "Do you want to declare war on Russia, which will be a nuclear war? This is absurd."
The politician added that he was "tired of the fact that supporters of de-escalation are portrayed as defeatists. What is a war with Russia? 400 million dead? Are we crazy?"
In his opinion, the bellicose statements of some statesmen in France and other European countries are explained by their lack of political vision and ideas how to solve the problems existing in society. To "fill the void" and consolidate society, they are turning Russia into an enemy, although it "absolutely definitely" is not, Ferry believes.
A week ago Mandon told mayors that the country must be "prepared to lose its children" and face economic difficulties, allegedly to contain Russia. He claimed that Paris "has all the knowledge, all the economic and demographic strength" to stand up to Moscow. French President Emmanuel Macron hastened to distance himself from these statements, calling them taken out of context.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the statements of European politicians about a possible war with Russia nonsense. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow has never had and has no intention of attacking NATO and the EU.