Diplomacy
Article reserved for subscribers
While the President is multiplying initiatives to ease tensions on the Ukrainian borders, the contenders for the Elysée are taking advantage of this to stand out and express their vision of Europe.
A war of nerves, tinged with verbal escalation and military maneuvers. For several months, the situation in Ukraine has continued to become tense. The conflict at the gates of the country, which has lasted for almost eight years and has already caused more than 13,000 deaths, “threatens our collective security”, warned Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday, before a trip to the Nord and Pas-de-Calais. While 100,000 Russian soldiers are massed at the border and the United States has decided to send 3,000 soldiers to Eastern Europe – a decision “destructive”, denounced the Kremlin – the French head of state intends to play the mediator.
Not yet officially a candidate, Macron strategically dons the mantle of the outgoing President above the campaign fray, keen to appease the affairs of the overheated world. “I am first of all obsessed that the acute phase of the epidemic and the peak of the current geopolitical crisis are behind us, he thus replied on Wednesday to …