In the next 8 to 10 days we will increase pressure on Russia. This was stated by the President of France Emmanuel Macron in an interview with the French publication “Pari Match“, reported Agence France-Presse.
In the interview, he believes that he has managed to convince the Americans about the possibility of escalating the threats and possibly imposing sanctions.
“The next 15 days will be key to trying to implement the ceasefire requested by the United States, accepted by Ukraine and supported by the Europeans, but to which Russia has not yet joined“, Macron said after his meetings in the Vatican with his colleagues from the United States and Ukraine, which took place on Saturday on the sidelines of the mourning ceremony for Pope Francis.
In front of the French publication, Macron said that he had spoken with the American president on the night of Wednesday to Thursday to urge him to adopt a harder line with his Russian counterpart. colleague.
Macron also said that he was not scheduled to meet Donald Trump in the Basilica of “St. Peter“ in Rome, but in the end they talked for a few minutes and then Macron repeated to Trump that he needed to be much tougher with the Russians.
According to Macron, the third chair provided in the basilica for Trump's meeting with Volodymyr Zelensky was not intended for him, but for an interpreter, but in the end Trump and Zelensky spoke in English and since an interpreter was not needed, the chair was pulled aside. Speculation arose about who was supposed to sit on the third chair.
"The goal is for the Americans to be able to go to Kiev very quickly, for us to be able to establish conditions for a ceasefire and to work in depth on the measures that would accompany this ceasefire so that it would be respected by the Ukrainian side. We must be ready with the Americans to toughen the tone towards Russia in order to achieve this ceasefire“, Macron also said.
“I think that we managed, thanks to this conversation in the Vatican, to bring back the pressure on Russia. This was the desired goal, because it is not fair to put pressure only on Ukraine“, Macron added.
In the interview, Macron also said that Friedrich Merz would visit France on May 7, which would be his first visit as German Chancellor.
Macron also announced that France and Poland would sign a friendship treaty on May 9 in the French city of Nancy. The ceremony on the Polish side will be attended by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Macron stressed that this treaty would be historic between Poland and France.