With his commitment, he is presenting himself as a crisis manager ahead of France’s presidential elections.
(Photo: Reuters)
Paris The Élysée Palace sent the message in the middle of the night: Emmanuel Macron had proposed to Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden a summit meeting to deal with “security and strategic stability in Europe”. The Russian head of state and the US President agreed to participate “in principle”.
France’s president has been trying to find a diplomatic solution to the conflict over Ukraine for weeks. Macron spent several hours on the phone on Sunday, speaking to Biden and Putin, as well as to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The Élysée communiqué was released after Macron called Putin again at 11pm. However, it is questionable how successful the French attempts at mediation will actually be: the Kremlin made it clear on Monday that there were “so far no concrete plans” for a summit.
It was said from the Élysée Palace that they had expressly spoken of a basic willingness on the part of Putin and Biden for such a meeting. Details still have to be negotiated, of course. The summit can only take place if Russia does not invade Ukraine.
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It was noticeable that the White House did not particularly emphasize Macron’s role in its communication on a possible summit. According to the Élysée, this move was made in coordination with Biden.
Macron brought up the meeting last Friday at the telephone switchboard of top western politicians. The US President spontaneously declared his approval and asked Macron to bring this offer to Putin. The wording of the nightly statement was also agreed with Moscow and Washington, according to sources close to the French President.
Macron wants to strengthen the influence of the EU
Macron is so committed primarily because he sees the Ukraine crisis as further evidence that Europeans must take their destiny into their own hands. The goal of “European sovereignty”, which Macron has been promoting for years, hovers over the French EU Council Presidency in the first half of 2022. It was horrifying for him when the Europeans initially played a supporting role in the negotiations while Russia and the US wrestled over war and peace on the EU’s external borders.
“Our belief is that the EU needs to play a more structuring and decisive role in the security of the continent,” said a senior Macron adviser. “We need a strategic awakening on the part of the Europeans.” The French President sees himself as a “moderator” in the Ukraine crisis and the questions that go beyond it, who uses “all of his energy” for security in Europe.
Macron’s short-term priority is de-escalation on the front line in Donbass and preventing a Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to the Élysée Palace, the situation is still “very volatile” and the risk of war is high. It is anything but impossible that Moscow is looking for a pretext for an invasion. “We are making our last effort to prevent the worst.” After all, the idea of a summit meeting now offers “a real diplomatic perspective”.
>> Read here: The developments in the Ukraine conflict in the Newsblog
If the immediate risk of war can be averted, the French President wants the continent’s major security issues to come up on the table. Macron made the proposal for a new security architecture for the first time in mid-January in his speech to the European Parliament.
When asked exactly what this construct should look like, the Élysée Palace remains vague. It will deal with topics such as the stationing of nuclear weapons, cyber attacks and the sovereignty of states and their right to freely choose an alliance.
One reason behind Macron’s diplomatic activities is likely to be the upcoming presidential election in France. The incumbent can present himself to voters as an international crisis manager and hovers over domestic political debates. He has not yet officially declared his candidacy for re-election.
As an explanation for the game of hide-and-seek during the election campaign, Macron states that the “current geopolitical crisis” currently requires his full attention. His team is already standing by behind the scenes, just waiting for the starting signal. French media reported that Macron would probably make his candidacy official at the beginning of March at the earliest. The first round of the presidential election will take place on April 10th.
More: Finding the Spark – How Putin could justify an invasion