The day after the announcement of his resignation from his Russian mandates, in the context of the war in Ukraine, François Fillon decided to speak, this Sunday, February 27. If he recognizes a “close relationship with Russia”, the former Prime Minister says he “was mistaken” about Vladimir Putin’s intentions.
Since June and November 2021, François Fillon has sat respectively on the boards of directors of two Russian giants: Zarubezhneft and Sibur, specializing in hydrocarbons and petrochemicals. In his column published by the Journal du Dimanche (JDD) he explains that he “kept the memory of an authoritarian Vladimir Poutine, demanding for his country but rational”.
A “historic fault”
Convinced for a time that the Russian president would thus choose “reason” in his tensions with Ukraine, François Fillon now recognizes his mistake. He describes the invasion of the country as a “historic fault” which “threatens European civilization” and considers that Vladimir Putin “is the only culprit of having started a conflict which could have, which should have been avoided”.
Referring to the Russian companies in which he was involved, François Fillon affirms: “My decision to join them was professional, that of resigning today is political”.
Assuring that he has no regrets, he considers that he is serving “the country’s best interests”, since the Russian invasion of Ukraine is, according to him, an attack against Europe, and therefore against France.