Macron: Talks with Russia essential

French President Emmanuel Macron said fresh talks between Ukraine and the European Union are needed to send a “signal of support” and that dialog with the Kremlin must continue.

“At some point the gunfire will have to cease and talks will have to resume,” Macron said Wednesday. “At some point, President Zelenskyy will need to negotiate with Russia and we’ll also need to be at the table, bringing security guarantees. This is the reality and this needs to happen.”

Macron, 44, was speaking to reporters during a visit to the Romanian base of Mihail Kogalniceanu, where France has stationed troops as part of NATO’s dissuasion forces. He declined to comment on reports that a stop in Moldova later on Wednesday would come before his first visit to Kyiv since Russia’s Feb. 24 invasion.

Macron has tried to position himself as a bridge between Russia and the West, and describes his country’s role as “a mediating power.” He has been criticized, especially in eastern Europe, for repeatedly saying even as the war rages that allies shouldn’t “humiliate” Moscow because that would be counterproductive.

Asked about that stance at the airbase, Macron doubled down. “Russia is a big power and we don’t want to start a war with the Russian people, but for Ukraine to win and the war to end we need to negotiate,” he said.

Macron referred to the equipment France is sending to Ukraine as proof of its support.

With Russia’s war with Ukraine now in its fifth month, and showing no signs of abating, Macron said it was important to send “a strong political signal toward Ukraine and the Ukrainian people who are resisting heroically.”