France Media: Ukraine's relations with NATO, or possible Finn status… - Radio Opole
The problem of Ukraine's relationship with NATO dominated the visits of French President Emmanuel Macron to Moscow, Kiev and Berlin. Among the options on the West's table of negotiations with Russia is Ukraine's status comparable to that of Finland, which is not part of the Alliance but has established a partnership with NATO, Le Monde writes on Wednesday.
In Kiev, Macron denied ever using the term "finlandization" - a taboo word for NATO allies. The president knows that displaying a concept inherited from the Cold War may weaken the position of the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, writes the French daily.
On the plane to Moscow, Macron answered a journalist's question about the possible finlandization of Ukraine that it was "one of the models that are on the table." "Le Monde".
“This is a prospect that countries like Poland do not want to hear about. Macron himself never utters a word that would anger his allies. His environment believes that this term is not appropriate in the current situation, the newspaper quotes from among the president's associates.
After the Kiev meeting, Macron, when asked about finlandization, replied that "ending the open door (NATO) policy will be a problem, especially for Finland and Sweden," where there is a debate about joining the North Atlantic Alliance.
Shortly before arriving in Kiev, Macron was delighted to get a promise from Russian President Vladimir Putin that there would be no additional escalation, especially on the border with Ukraine. However, this claim was partially denied by the Kremlin spokesman, "Le Monde" recalls.
According to the French president, the renewal of the Minsk agreements to settle the conflict in Donbas, if they are confirmed, will not be enough, because the crisis goes far beyond the fate of Ukraine itself, the newspaper writes. Putin "expanded the field of discussion and controversy; now it is all about NATO ", analyzes" Le Monde "and adds that" the question of Ukraine's status towards NATO, but also Moldova and Georgia - two countries weakened by the frozen conflicts with Moscow is raised ".
According to Macron, the possibility of expanding NATO to include these countries is being used by Russia to annex parts of their territories and launch military operations, the French newspaper notes.
Paris and Berlin opposed the prospect of Kyiv's rapid accession to the Alliance in 2008, contrary to Washington. France and Germany remain very reserved, but Macron notes that the ambiguity around this issue no longer reduces tensions with Russia, Le Monde points out.
The French president intends to talk to the leaders of the Baltic states, Putin and the US President Joe Biden, about the situation around Ukraine and NATO in the near future.
From Paris, Katarzyna Stańko (PAP)
ksta / ap /
