Macron: West does not seek to destroy Russia

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French President Emmanuel Macron urged the so-called "international community" to launch legal initiatives against Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine.

Asked by CBS' 60 Minutes' correspondent Bill Whitaker whether Putin should be charged with "war crimes", Macron said, "What we have to do now is, number one, to gather all the evidences of these war crimes."

"In parallel, we have to launch all the initiatives and the legal initiatives indeed to have such a result. So, my answer is yes," he indicated.

The French President said the West must help Ukraine from a "humanitarian, economic, and defense point of view," pointing to an international conference he is organizing with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that will be held in Paris on December 13.

According to Macron, the conference aims to collect generators and assist civilians in restoring schools, hospitals, and other aspects of daily life.

The French leader claimed that he saw "a sort of a resentment" in Putin's eyes during his one-on-one meeting with the Russian President before the start of the Ukraine war.

He said Putin's resentment toward the West comes from the feeling that the West sought to destroy Russia, claiming that this has never been the French outlook.

Elsewhere in the interview, Macron indicated that during his conversations with Putin, he sensed that the Russian leader had "this clear awareness of how the Russian people were the great people, great with great history."

"And his perspective and probably his destiny was to restore, perhaps, an empire," he added.

Biden and Macron pledge 'unwavering' alliance

It is noteworthy that on Thursday, Russian President Joe Biden welcomed Macron to the White House. The two presidents pledged to close ranks in helping Ukraine "defend itself from Russia" and in facing the "challenge" posed by China.

They also issued a joint statement following Oval Office talks, which Biden said demonstrated their countries' "unwavering" alliance.

Biden and Macron reaffirmed support for Ukraine and the provision of all forms of assistance to Ukraine "for as long as it takes."

The French President pledged more support for Ukraine and vowed to not push Kiev into any peace talks with Russia that it does not agree with.

"We will never urge the Ukrainians to make a compromise that will not be acceptable for them," Macron said in a White House press conference.