Macron demands 30-day truce in Ukraine "on land, at sea and in the air" - Le Figaro
Kyiv • UNN
The President of France announced the EU's expectations for a ceasefire in Ukraine. He emphasized the readiness to strengthen sanctions against Russia in case of refusal to cease fire.
French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the European Union expects a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine "on land, sea and in the air." However, Russia has other plans, which may lead to increased anti-Russian sanctions. He said this during a live broadcast on TF1, UNN reports with reference to Le Figaro.
What is at stake in Ukraine is our security (of Europe - ed.). We want a ceasefire on land, sea and in the air for 30 days. And Russia wants the ceasefire to be discussed in Turkey.
Details
Answering a question about the expectations of the French people, Emmanuel Macron expressed the opinion that the sanctions adopted by Western allies could be applied "in the next few days."
I cannot tell you whether Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey. We are waiting for Russia's response... We want to apply sanctions against Russia in the coming days in agreement with the United States if it does not comply with the ceasefire regime.
Although he immediately noted that he is ready to resume dialogue with Vladimir Putin "after the end of the war in Ukraine."
Macron also said that Ukraine, which will not join NATO, cannot be abandoned. According to him, Ukrainians have enough clarity to understand that they will not be able to return all their territories. After the signing of a possible peace agreement and in the event of further attacks by Russian troops after a possible ceasefire, the question of a UN mandate or the presence of security forces will arise.
The first security guarantee should be a strong Ukrainian army. We cannot abandon Ukraine because it will not join NATO. We must deploy security forces in areas remote from the front line. This would be a force that would deter Russia from continuing any conflict.
Then Emmanuel Macron was asked about the lack of sanctions against Russia.
Regarding sanctions, we want the United States to be with us. What is happening with Russia? It invaded Ukraine. (Sanctions - ed.) were effective, and we constantly helped Ukraine. We did everything we could. We decided not to deploy our troops to avoid escalation.
Reminder
Earlier, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate with Ukraine on May 15 is only a "first step", but this is not enough for a real cessation of hostilities.