Emmanuel Macron’s refusal to condemn the Russian military’s genocide in Ukraine was considered “very offensive” by his Ukrainian deputy leader, Volodymyr Zhelensky.
“I will do everything I can to discuss this issue with Mr. Macron today,” he told a news conference. “Otherwise, when he has time tomorrow.”
The previous day, Emmanuel Macron had chosen not to use the word “genocide” used by his US envoy Joe Biden to accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of being in Ukraine. “I would say that Russia unilaterally unleashed a brutal war. It is now established that war crimes were committed by the Russian military. It is now necessary to find those responsible,” the French president first declared.
“I do not know if the increase in words helps for a reason”
“What is happening is insane, it is incredibly horrible (…) but at the same time I see the facts, I want to try as much as possible to stop this war and rebuild peace, so I do not know if the increase in words helps for a reason,” he continued.
Oleg Nikolenko, a spokesman for Ukrainian diplomacy, responded quickly, calling Emmanuel Macron’s position “disappointing.”
On Tuesday, US President Joe Biden accused Vladimir Putin of committing genocide in Ukraine for the first time, having previously been used by Volodymyr Zhelensky, but not by the US administration. On Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also spoke for the first time about the genocide in Ukraine.
Russia, for its part, defends itself against the “platform” and “mistakes” planned by the Ukrainians and harms it.
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