Russia must be defeated but not ‘crushed’, says Macron

• Emmanuel Macron does not want Russia to be defeated in Ukraine.
• He criticize those who he claimed intended to extend the conflict to Russia.
• He also downplayed the idea of regime change in Russia.

French President Emmanuel Macron has stated that he does not want Russia to be defeated in Ukraine.

Mr. Macron told French media that he was prepared for a long war and asked Western nations to strengthen military backing for Kyiv.

“I want Russia to be defeated in Ukraine, and I want Ukraine to be able to defend its position,” he said.

But he hit out against those who he said wanted to extend the war to Russia itself in a bid to “crush” the nation.

He did, however, criticize those who he claimed intended to extend the conflict to Russia itself in order to “crush” the country.

The remarks came as international leaders convened in Munich for the Munich Security Conference when vows were made to speed up the delivery of arms to Kyiv and to slap tighter penalties on Russia.

“I do not think, as some people do, that we must aim for a total defeat of Russia, attacking Russia on its own soil,” Mr. Macron told the paper Le Journal du Dimanche.

“Those observers want to, above all else, crush Russia. That has never been the position of France and it will never be our position.”

Mr Macron told a conference in Munich on Friday that now was not the time for engagement with Moscow.

But, he did not shy away from citing peace discussions as a long-term aim.

According to the president, the only way to “bring Russia back to the table and achieve a permanent peace” is for Ukraine’s military actions to be supported by friends.

He also downplayed the idea of regime change in Russia, calling such efforts around the world a “total failure”.

Notwithstanding Mr. Macron’s remarks, Ukraine’s officials see dialogue as a long way off.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba praised the decision not to invite Moscow to the Munich meeting on Friday.

‘Should not be invited’

Russian leaders should not be invited to the table as long as the “terrorist state kills, as long as it uses bombs, missiles, and tanks as an argument for international politics”, he said.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has ruled out quick discussions with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, citing a lack of “trust” between the two countries. In an interview with the BBC earlier this week, he also opposed the idea of ceding land in order to reach an agreement with Moscow.

Other Nato countries have previously chastised Mr. Macron for sending conflicting messages about Ukraine.

Last June, he was chastised by Mr. Kuleba for saying it was crucial that Russia was not “humiliated over its invasion”.

Mr. Kuleba commented at the time that Russia, which was “humiliating itself,” ought to be put in its place.

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