Ukraine war: 'Come back to the negotiating table,' Macron tells Putin
Emmanuel Macron has urged Vladimir Putin to "come back to the table" and promised to deliver air defence systems to Ukraine, in the midst of a massive new Russian bombing campaign.
In a television interview, the French president criticised his Russian counterpart for having made the "choice" to involve Europe more in the war with the recent missile strikes and the general mobilisation order to reinforce the army.
"Today, first of all, Vladimir Putin must stop this war, respect the territorial integrity of Ukraine and come back to the discussion table," he told public television channel France 2 on Wednesday night.
This week's Russian missile bombardment targetting energy infrastructure and civilians was an attempt to break Ukrainian resistance, the president said, explaining his earlier comment that the escalation brought the war into a new phase.
Macron defended his refusal to break off dialogue with the Russian leader since the February invasion, despite criticism of his stance including from Ukrainians, saying he would continue to talk to Putin "whenever necessary".
He reiterated that it would ultimately be up to Ukraine to decide when the conditions for negotiation would be met and that the stated aim was clear: a return to the "1991 borders", before Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, and of four Ukrainian regions at the end of September.
"The question is whether these war aims will only be achieved militarily," he said. "I believe that at some point it will be in the interest of Ukraine and Russia to come back to the table and negotiate."
"The stability of our continent is the concern of all of us... We will have roles to play as guarantors", he went on, accepting that no negotiations would take place "in the
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