• Tweeter

  • republish

The President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, welcomed his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, at Fort Brégançon, Monday, August 19, 2019, to a week of the G7. Gerard Julien / Pool via REUTERS

" It is relevant that in the long term Russia can join the G8 " which it was excluded in 2014 after the invasion of Crimea, said Wednesday French President Emmanuel Macron at a press conference at the Elysee.

Speaking to the Presidential Press Association, Emmanuel Macron set an " indispensable " condition for this return: a solution to the conflict in Ukraine based on the Minsk agreements. For Emmanuel Macron, " we must work hard to settle the Ukrainian conflict ". " The subject being treated, we must not multiply the pre-conditions , he said. The role of Russia is important (...) Reintroducing in these formats (international discussions) is effective and I think useful. "

On this Ukrainian issue, the president is optimistic. The head of state will talk with Angela Merkel Saturday in Biarritz at the G7 summit, but he imagines already - he said it during his joint conference with Vladimir Putin Monday 19 in Brégançon - in the " next few weeks " a summit in France, on the Normandy format; a summit with progress on demilitarization, the Donbass, prisoner exchanges. It has been three years since a meeting of this type had taken place.

For Crimea, it is however very vague. To a question on the status of the region annexed by Russia, Emmanuel Macron answers: " It's too early. The G7 which would become a G8 with the return of Vladimir Putin right away, as Donald Trump wishes, Emmanuel Macron judges it in any case severely: it would be a " strategic error ", a deep injustice and a consecration of a form of " impunity ".

" Saying " Russia unconditionally must come back to the table tomorrow " is somehow to attack the weakness of the G7 , said President Macron, favorable to the dialogue with Moscow . That is to say that the seven countries that decided five years ago to sideline Russia have said that it has no effect, so that Russia can return without any problem. It would be a strategic mistake for us. "

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday, August 20, favorable to return to the G8, saying it was " much more sensible " without mentioning a particular prerequisite.