(Reuters) – Ukraine’s foreign minister said on Saturday that France would do better to “put Russia in its place” rather than seek to avoid humiliating Moscow in order to preserve diplomatic channels.
In an interview with the regional daily press, Emmanuel Macron, who has maintained dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the start of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24, offered France’s mediation in the conflict and warned against humiliating Russia to maintain diplomatic ties.
“Calls to avoid humiliating Russia can only humiliate France or any other country. Because it is Russia that is humiliating itself,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kouleba tweeted.
“We would all do better to focus on how to put Russia in its place. This will bring peace and save lives,” added the head of Ukrainian diplomacy.
Asked about this mediation offer, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency replied: “Until we have received all the weapons, until we have reinforced our positions, until we have repelled (the Russian forces, editor’s note) as far as possible from the borders of Ukraine, there will be no need to negotiate”.
For his part, Emmanuel Macron called for not humiliating Russia “so that the day the fighting stops, we can build a way out through diplomatic channels”.
He adds that he has regularly exchanged with Vladimir Putin since the start of the war with the idea of reaching a ceasefire, without any real success so far.
France has provided military and financial support to Ukraine but, until now, the head of state has not traveled to Kyiv to openly show political support as other European leaders have done .
However, this is a request from the Ukrainians. Emmanuel Macron clarified, however, that he did not exclude it.
“I think, and I told him (Vladimir Putin), that he made a historic and fundamental mistake for his people, for himself and for history,” he said.
Russia now occupies a fifth of Ukrainian territory. Western countries, led by the United States, have supplied Ukraine with long-range weapons. Kyiv nevertheless calls for even more powerful weapons.
The Biden administration will notably provide the M142 Mobile Multiple Rocket Launcher (HIMARS), which has a range of several hundred miles.
For Ukrainian negotiator David Arakhamia, Ukraine wants to strengthen its military positions on the ground thanks to new Western arms deliveries before resuming peace negotiations with Russia.
“Our armed forces are ready to use (the new weapons, editor’s note) (…) and then I think that we will be able to start a new round of negotiations from strengthened positions,” David Arakhamia told Ukrainian television.
France also sent weapons, including six Caesar guns which were taken from the stock of French forces. Emmanuel Macron clarified that he had asked manufacturers to accelerate the production of armaments.
Kyiv said on Saturday that the Ukrainian military managed to repel advancing Russian troops in Sievierodonetsk as fighting rages around the industrial city where Russian soldiers are focusing their offensive to take control of Donbass.
(Report Max Hunder and John Irish, French version Matthieu Protard and Caroline Pailliez)