War in Ukraine: Emmanuel Macron receives Francois Hollande and Nicolas Sarkozy this Wednesday

After his controversial statements on the war in Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron speaks to his predecessor. The President of the Republic is to receive former heads of state Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande this Wednesday, the Elysée announced on Tuesday evening. He should “exchange with them on the situation in Ukraine”.

The interview with Francois Hollande should take place at 6 pm, according to the Élysée program, with Nicolas Sarkozy at 7 pm.

This is not the first time that Emmanuel Macron has consulted his predecessors. In February 2022, shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory, the President of the Republic met Nicolas Sarkozy. “The path of dialogue, the path of diplomacy is difficult, often hopeless, but there is no alternative. So we must continue on this path,” declared the former head of state.

Macron “takes responsibility” for his latest comments

French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday deemed it “necessary” to shake up Ukraine’s allies from Prague, urging them “not to be cowards” in the face of an “unstoppable” Russia. He also said he “accepted” his recent controversial comments about the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine for a support, non-combat mission. On the question of sending troops, most Western countries have already indicated that they do not fully consider such a scenario.

Asked about Emmanuel Macron’s declarations, Foreign Minister Stéphane Sjörn confirmed in an interview on LCI on Tuesday evening that “it was necessary to defeat Russia without going to war against Russia, that is the framework that the President of the Republic has set (…) and A co-fighting structure should not be achieved.