The third negotiating meeting is due to take place on Monday, March 7, between Russia and Ukraine, ten days after the start of the Russian offensive in Donbas. As the fighting in Ukraine continues, the foreign ministers of the two countries have already scheduled their first meeting on Thursday in Antalya, Turkey.
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“I’m not sure it will succeed,” Sylvie Berman, French ambassador to Russia from 2017 to 2019 and former French ambassador to China, told Franceinfo. According to her, it remains “it is necessary not to interrupt the telephone connection” with Vladimir Putin.
Franceinfo: Is the announcement of talks in Turkey a source of hope?
Sylvie Berman: Vladimir Putin intends to go all the way, so I’m not sure that this will happen in the near future. In any case, it is important to keep in touch. It is true that Turkey has always played a special role, being neither a real friend nor a real enemy of Moscow. It has already played a mediating role in the Syrian cause. It is important that as many individuals as possible speak to Vladimir Putin.
Emmanuel Macron maintains telephone contact with the President of Russia. Is it important not to break?
It is extremely important not to violate it, because it is still diplomacy for the long term, and also because he has long established a close relationship with him. He is one of the privileged interlocutors. These are not phone calls that last ten minutes or a quarter of an hour. These are calls that get to the point, even if Vladimir Putin is not ready to give in. They do not agree, but the French president continues to send messages, in particular about the protection of civilians, the possibility of evacuation or the safety of nuclear power plants.
China is now balancing. Is his friendship with Russia being tested?
China is very confused. In the Security Council, she abstained: she did not object, she did not veto. At the same time, China and Russia have developed a very close rapprochement with the United States in recent years. But I don’t think anyone can convince Vladimir Putin today. He seems completely determined.