The President of the Republic refused to use the term “genocide” in a reaction to the war in Ukraine and warned of the consequences of an “escalation of words”. A position that shocks and disappoints in Kyiv.
The attitude of the President of the Republic to the Russian invasion is not always perceived very positively in Ukraine. If Emmanuel Macron played the leading role at the diplomatic level at the beginning of the conflict, the Ukrainians also accuse him of his tendency to inaction. They even coined the term “Macroner” to describe someone who shows great concern but does not act. And the latest statements by the French head of state will not increase his popularity either.
Emmanuel Macron warns of the escalation of words
This Wednesday, April 13, Emmanuel Macron refused to follow his American counterpart Joe Biden, who has called Russia’s actions in Ukraine “genocide.” The French President denounced a counterproductive “escalation of words” to end the conflict, preferring to “remain cautious”.
“I would say that Russia unilaterally unleashed a brutal war, that it is now clear that war crimes were committed by the Russian army and that it is now necessary to find those responsible,” Emmanuel Macron said on France 2.
“Such statements are very hurtful,” said the Ukrainian President
This refusal to use the term “genocide” made the Ukrainian president react quickly. “If they are true, such statements are very hurtful for us,” said Volodymyr Zelensky during a press conference on the occasion of the visit of the Polish, Lithuanian, Estonian and Latvian presidents to Kyiv.