Every day, Didier François deals with an international topic.
This Monday at Fort Brégançon, Emmanuel Macron will receive President Vladimir Putin for a long head to head followed by a working dinner. This meeting takes place just days before the G7 summit in Biarritz where Russia is not invited and while the demonstrations are multiplying in Moscow to denounce the exclusion of all independent candidates from municipal elections.
This meeting is held at a time of great tension both in Russia with a severe stiffening of the regime internally against any form of opposition, as on the international scene with the nuclear crisis in Iran or the military offensive in the north of the country. Syria. This is the reason why the President of the Republic considers it essential to lead a direct, frank and open discussion with the Kremlin. Especially since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia has been sidelined by many multilateral regulators (including the G8). There is no question that she will be reinstated until she has normalized her relations with Ukraine. However, Moscow remains a major player on the international scene. Firstly by a real power of nuisance, but also because his diplomacy holds the keys of the resolution in certain crises. It would therefore be absurd not to look for possible points of convergence.
Do these points of convergence exist?
This is what will try to verify Emmanuel Macron. On Iran first, because Russia is one of the states guaranteeing the denuclearization agreement. It could therefore be part of the French initiative of de-escalation by weighing on Tehran in favor of a return to the norms of the treaty. Libya is also a file on which Paris and Moscow have similar approaches, having lobbied both sides for the implementation of a truce and a relaunch of negotiations. Syria is much more complicated. It is important to remember the red lines which the use of chemical weapons by the regime, which Moscow has the means to control. Ukraine finally, where the new president elected in April has made gestures of appeasement by demilitarizing part of the front lines as provided by the Minsk agreements which, to date, had never been implemented. neither by Kiev nor Moscow.
Some accuse Emmanuel Macron to give a blank check to Vladimir Putin while he represses his opposition?
That Vladimir Putin is not a strong supporter of liberal democracy, there is no doubt. He himself does not claim it and the President of the Republic has little illusion on the question. In fact, the virile exchange during their meeting on the sidelines of the Osaka summit where Emmanuel Macron said his "irreducible disagreement" with a very offensive Vladimir Putin who had rejected as "obsolete" the Western democratic model. Obviously, nobody at the Elysee is naive enough to believe that all his questions will be solved by magic after the Brégançon meeting. There is, however, a desire on the part of President Macron to lead an active diplomacy (even if it means taking risks) rather than remaining frozen in declarative stances that are impeccable from the point of view of principles, but which would deprive him of any capacity to influence crises. international.