Emmanuel Macron had estimated, last June, that it was not necessary to “humiliate Russia”. Six months later, he added that it was even necessary to provide the Kremlin with “security guarantees” in the event of negotiations. Considered complacent, these outings cast doubt on his desire to see Ukraine triumph. They also aroused uneasiness and anger in several chancelleries, in particular in Ukraine, Poland and the Baltic States – he “falls into Putin’s trap”, said Latvian Deputy Prime Minister Artis Pabriks.
With the new year, the head of state seems to want to cut short criticism of his ambiguous support for kyiv: “Your fight for the defense of your nation is heroic, […] we will be unfailingly at your side, we will help you until victory”, he promised, during his New Year’s Eve wishes. Suiting the action to the word, he announced, on January 4, the delivery of AMX-10 RC light armored vehicles, positioning France as the first country to deliver Western-built tanks to Ukraine.
“All this is going in the right direction, he may have finally understood that Putin with Ukraine will never be like de Gaulle with Algeria – the general had understood that she would never be French -, and that he absolutely wants it to remain in the bosom of the Russian empire, points out François Heisbourg, of the Foundation for Strategic Research. But we are not immune to his “at the same time” he redoing an exit on the Russian humiliation…” This would undermine the diplomatic benefits of this beginning of the year.
