Paris should get rid of the habit of being a “balancing force” and join allies that take a tough stance on Russia.
France has always positioned itself as one of the leading countries in Europe, but the relatively restrained support of Ukraine in the war against Russia has forced many to reconsider the status of official Paris. To truly be a leader on the continent, President Emmanuel Macron and his government should stop calling the international community to negotiate with Moscowand avoid the role of “balancing force”. France's support for Ukraine should increase significantly, according to a group of local researchers and analysts. They expressed their views in a collective letter published by Le Monde.
In the opinion of the authors of the appeal, despite the fact that the war in Ukraine is still ongoing, it is already possible to see the contours of post-war Europe. They believe that the zones of influence on the continent will shift to the east.
The “center of gravity” will most likely shift to the east. Under this condition, the influence of France may weaken significantly. France's traditional position of a “balancing power” and dialogue with Moscow has been discredited within the regrouped NATO. Strengthening the French position towards the Kremlin and supporting Ukraine's candidacy for membership in the European Union are “steps in the right direction”, but “France must now abandon its illusory desire for the outdated role of a “balancing force” in front of Russia, which no longer listens to and respects it. France should approach the positions of its allies in Central, Northern and Eastern Europe, who have shown great insight into the understanding of Russia,” experts note.
Read also: France will offer Ukraine has an alternative way of exporting food
One of the authors of the letter, Arthur Koenigsberg, who heads the EuroActive analytical center, writes that now France's position on the issue war still remains “blurry”. The reason for this is Macron's statements about “the need to achieve peace as soon as possible” and that “one should not insult Putin and the Russians”. They lose with more categorical statements of other Western leaders.
According to the team of researchers, France should significantly increase military aid to Ukraine. They call on the government to increase the funding of the special support fund from 100 million euros to four billion euros.
“Four billion euros seems like a very large amount. But given the importance of the goals for France, increasing military support to Ukraine to such a level is quite achievable. “France could very well open a credit line for 4-5 billion euros with our industrialists, so that the Ukrainians would then reimburse the funds within 20 years,” Königsberg believes.
Read also: Zelensky and Macron discussed new arms supplies to Ukraine
Related video
Previously reported , that France will conduct training for two thousand Ukrainian soldiers, and may also impose sanctions against Iran for the use of Shahed drones in Ukraine.
See special topic: Mobilization in Ukraine: what does deregistration mean > Some men may be deemed unfit for military service. Iran admitted for the first time that it supplied drones to Russia Tehran insists that the supply of drones took place before the start of Russia's war against Ukraine. The occupiers attacked Pokrovsk with kamikaze drones Information about the destruction and victims is being clarified. Train from North Korea crosses Russian border after reports of weapons supply – Reuters This was the first time in several years that such a train movement was observed on the route. The occupiers shelled four districts in the Kharkiv region Fortunately, there were no casualties.
