Solène Leroux 6:57 p.m., February 26, 2022, modified at 6:57 p.m., February 26, 2022

Guest of Europe Midi weekend, the former French ambassador to Russia Jean de Gliniasty explained that Vladimir Putin's desire to fight the Ukrainians was creating a strong patriotic feeling.

“Through fire a nation emerges,” he said.

INTERVIEW

While the offensive now extends across the country, and Russia has called for it to be expanded even further, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been communicating a lot since last night via Twitter with videos.

According to the former French ambassador to Russia Jean de Gliniasty, guest of

Europe Midi week-end

, "it was a bit of his job before being president", recalling the leader's past as an actor.

"But if we could then wonder about his abilities, now he has proven that not only is he a communicator, but in addition, he is a president."

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A communication war

Communication is also a key issue in this conflict.

Vladimir Putin yesterday called the Ukrainian president a neo-Nazi.

A strong word, but also "ridiculous" according to Jean de Gliniasty, also director of research at the Institute of International and Strategic Relations (IRIS), especially "because Zelensky is of Jewish origin".

And the researcher to affirm that the latter "was elected after regular elections".

Volodymyr Zelensky, had also placed Russian-Ukrainian reconciliation high on his agenda.

"These kinds of accusations are completely irrelevant," he said.

A bloodbath announced

According to the former ambassador, "Putin's calculation was that Ukraine is collapsing very quickly".

For him, the Russian president has long said "there is no Ukrainian nation", and by pushing this conflict, "we are witnessing the birth of a nation": "Through fire a nation appears."

He is convinced that "it will be a bloodbath" which will definitively record the divorce between Ukraine and Russia.

A situation of which the Russians "are very sad": "Russian public opinion does not want that", assures Jean de Gliniasty.