Zelensky will have to negotiate with Russia at some point: Macron
French President Emmanuel Macron is calling on his Ukrainian counterpart to consider holding talks with Russia over ending the war.
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French President Emmanuel Macron speaks to French soldiers at the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base, near the city of Constanta, Romania, Tuesday, June 14, 2022 (AP)
Kiev will have to hold negotiations with Russia at some point in the future in order to try and bring an end to the war in Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday.
"The Ukrainian President and his officials will have to negotiate with Russia," said Macron during his visit to Romania and Moldova.
Macron arrived in Romania on Tuesday for a three-day trip to NATO's southern flank including Moldova before possibly heading to Kiev on Thursday on a visit with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, two diplomatic sources reported.
Calling for "new in-depth discussions" with Ukraine, Macron did not confirm whether he would travel to Kiev.
"At the gates of our European Union, an unprecedented geopolitical situation is playing out," he said after meeting French troops stationed in Romania.
"The political context and the decisions that the European Union and several nations will have to take justify new in-depth discussions and new progress."
Macron has long been facing criticism from Ukraine and other Eastern European allies for what they claim is "ambiguous backing" for Kiev when it comes to the war.
The accusations come despite Paris supplying Ukraine with $107 worth of military equipment so far. Macron also promised more aid, including MILAN anti-tank missiles and CAESAR self-propelled howitzers.
The countries whose leaders are reportedly heading to Ukraine soon have all been incredibly supportive of Kiev, sanctioning Russia and arming the Ukrainian forces alongside other European and North American allies.
Germany had been pondering giving armored vehicles to Slovenia in return for a shipment of Soviet-made T-72 tanks to Ukraine in light of mounting pressures on Berlin to pump more arms to Kiev as the war in the country unfolds, German media reported Thursday.
Under the swap deal, Germany will send Marder infantry fighting vehicles and Fuchs armored personnel carriers to its eastern NATO partner, Germany's N-TV broadcaster said.
Slovenia, in exchange, requested more modern hardware, including Puma and Boxer armored vehicles and Leopard 2 battle tanks.
Following these reports, The Washington Post reported Moscow sent a formal diplomatic note to the United States warning that Washington and Brussels' arms shipments were adding fuel to the fire of the war in Ukraine, stressing that this matter could bring upon "unpredictable consequences".
