With Vladimir Putin’s visit to Versailles, the young French President, has passed its first diplomatic Test. However, he went further than any of his predecessors.
In contrast to his opponent, the far-right populist Marine Le Pen, called Emmanuel Macron already in the election campaign, without compromise, the sanctions against Russia to maintain. In his program, he described Russia as a threat to Europe and its security.
Some of you wondered how meaningful it was, that Macron Putin so soon after his arrival in Versailles received. The realism, the Macron in the relations to Russia, had effect on Some of a irritating. The meeting has shown that The Worries were not justified. Emmanuel Macron is no compromise. The resumption of Dialogue with Moscow, was also got under the previous government of François Hollande never completely to a Standstill, went exactly according to Plan of the Elysée Palace: Macron at the tone, Putin seemed like a hanger-on.
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No non-tradable things to negotiate
Macron repeated in the presence of the Russian President in his criticism of Russia and showed that one can also deal decisively with Russia. He condemned the disinformation through propaganda media like Russia Today and Sputnik, which had him slandered during the election campaign, and offended. At the same time, he continued to campaign for human rights in Russia. He condemned the Situation of Homosexuals in Chechnya and announced vigilance with regard to the suppression of NGOs on Russian territory.
This shows: the need for a dialogue with Russia may be, you can’t begin to negotiate over non-negotiable things. In order to understand how Emmanuel Macron is with the Russian destabilization of Ukraine deal, it is necessary to observe three implicit guidelines:
1. The relationship to Germany: France and Germany are the founders of the Normandy format, where the Minsk agreements were negotiated. Equally important is the determination of Merkel and Macron, to deepen the relations between the two countries. Both can now slip into the role of “leader of the free world”, after US President, Trump fails. For this role the Ukraine is a challenge of the first order.
2. The Unity of Europe: Macron knows that the Europeans must leave the issue of Ukraine will not be divided, especially on the subject of sanctions, or else Putin would have won. It is no coincidence that the G7 has confirmed in Taormina, the need for these sanctions. Even the threat of a possible tightening of sanctions was to be found in the final Declaration.
3. International law: It includes, to accept the Invasion of the Donbass in Eastern Ukraine and the annexation of the Crimea.
Hands pressure with pressure: Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin
In this framework, it is possible that the dialogue with Russia. Even if Macron demonstrated diplomatic skills and confirmed that both Ukraine and Russia must fulfill their part of the Minsk decisions, he left no doubt whom he believes to be the main responsible for the non-fulfillment of the Minsk agreements: Moscow.
Macron goes further than all the other presidents
Strategically, this dialogue with a heavy Hand is not a break with the presidency of Hollande’s, but Macron is even the possibility of challenging perform. So he can create it, the borders of Russia, to explore and to demonstrate the necessary hardness without the need for long-term cooperation in question. The plans Macrons, to strengthen the European defence, together with Germany and to position France within the NATO’s new show, how aware of him, the Russian danger is, and to oppose his determination.
He’s forced to choose Putin: to either change his Position or to suffer the consequences. In spite of a Smile on the lips, and the honest desire to dialogue Macron has gone further than any French President before him. In many ways he reminds one of the devotion de Gaulle had decided during the Berlin crisis, or Francois Mitterrand at the height of the Cold war.
Emmanuel Macron has shown that he can link values and realism without fatalism, on the him, some want to reduce. A challenge he hurled at Putin: “Are you ready to change and to look forward to?”, the young President asked. If Putin joins in, Macron obtained. If not, could Macron not show at least clear that Putin is in the position to accept the rules of a peaceful world order. The truth will come to light soon.
A guest post by Nicolas Tenzer, Chairman of the Think tank “Centre d’étude et de réflexion pour l’action politique (CERAP)”.