A Putin-Macron call leaves France persuaded that Russia wants 'control of all of Ukraine.'

Source: NY Times

A phone conversation between President Emmanuel Macron of France and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia on Thursday offered little hope that the fighting in Ukraine would abate any time soon, with the Kremlin saying it had no intention of backing down from a war that “is going according to plan” and the French presidency warning that Mr. Putin appeared determined to invade the entire country.

“Our analysis of the military operations is that the Russian ambitions are to take control of all of Ukraine,” said a senior official in the French presidency, who briefed reporters on the 90-minute conversation between the two leaders and said Mr. Macron expressed “pessimism” after the call.

Nothing is certain about the success of Russia’s operations, but “we have to expect that the worst is to come,” said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in keeping with French government practice. “There is nothing in what President Putin said that should reassure us,” the official added.

The call, which the French presidency said came at the Kremlin’s request, was the third discussion between the two leaders since the start of the war. Mr. Macron, who was expected to announce his candidacy for re-election in April later on Thursday, has positioned himself at the center of the diplomacy in Europe, burnishing his stature in France and abroad by becoming an interlocutor with Mr. Putin.


Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/03/world/europe/putin-macron-call.html

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