Macron says Ukraine conflict ‘will last’
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine “will last,” so France is bracing for the economic impact – that’s the conclusion President Emmanuel Macron made on Saturday.
“War has returned to Europe,” he said while speaking at an agricultural show. “In a certain way there will be consequences in our exports for the major sectors.”
Macron also said the French defense council will gather on Saturday afternoon to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
After Russia began its operation to “demilitarize” Ukraine earlier this week, France was among the countries that condemned the move – while saying that the path for dialogue with Moscow should be “left open.” Macron called Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday at the request of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, and according to the Kremlin, had a “serious and frank exchange of views” with his Russian counterpart.
Zelensky himself tweeted on Saturday that he had spoken to the French president and that “weapons and equipment from our partners are on the way to Ukraine.”
Russia launched an offensive against its neighbor on Thursday morning, arguing the move was necessary to defend the people of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), which broke off from Ukraine shortly after the 2014 coup in Kiev. Ukraine said the attack was entirely unprovoked and appealed to the international community for help, which has responded with a string of sanctions against Russia’s industrial and financial sectors, as well as senior officials.
