French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview with LCI television that a meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin should take place in Europe. He proposed Geneva as the location for the talks, arguing that Switzerland is a neutral state.
“It will be a neutral country, so perhaps Switzerland – I am in favor of Geneva – or another country,” Macron said in the interview aired on Tuesday. He recalled that the previous talks were held in Istanbul.
He added that a trilateral summit (also with the participation of U.S. President Donald Trump) could take place at the beginning of September, so the next two weeks will be crucial.
Summarizing Monday’s talks in Washington, the French president emphasized that the American president wants peace. “Trump wants peace. This is good, and this unites us with him,” he stated.
He warned that if peace in the war started by Russia means “Ukraine’s capitulation,” it would be “dramatic” for Europe. He also said that any decision regarding possible territorial concessions belongs to Ukraine.
Macron noted that since around 2007-2008, from the Russo-Georgian war onward, Russia has “rarely honored its commitments.” “Russia has become a permanently destabilizing force and a potential threat to many of us. A country that invests 40 percent of its budget in the army (…) will not return to peace and a democratic system overnight,” the French president said.
He called Putin a “predator” who “must devour in order to survive.”
“This is a threat to Europeans. (…) We must not be naive,” Macron stressed.