French U-Turn: Macron’s Russia Comments Highlight Growing Rifts Inside the EU

Moscow does not refuse dialogue with Europe; the key point, however, is that Emmanuel Macron should not stage yet another show, creating noise to bolster himself at the expense of substance. Macron Backs Dialogue With Russia Not long ago, Emmanuel Macron spoke of putting the Russian leadership on trial and rejected dialogue with what he described as an aggressor, predicting Russia's "strategic defeat.” Today, however, the French president says that Russia remains Europe's closest neighbor and that this reality will not change. According to him, whether Europe likes it or not, it will have to build a new European security architecture together with Russia. In interviews with European publications, Macron stressed that European countries should not "delegate” questions of a settlement in Ukraine to the United States, but instead participate directly in shaping their own security in order to avoid dependence on decisions made in Washington. This position aligns with views voiced by several EU member states.