French President Emmanuel Macron advised European partners on Tuesday not to put their trust in Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he described as “an ogre at our gates”.
Macron’s statements come as Russian and Ukrainian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to be on track for a peace meeting following fast-paced talks Monday between Donald Trump and European leaders that focused on the critical topic of long-term security guarantees for Kyiv.
“Putin has rarely honoured his commitments,” Macron told the LCI broadcaster. “He has constantly been a force for destabilisation. He has sought to redraw borders to increase his power.”
Macron stated that he did not believe Russia would “return to peace and a democratic system from one day to the next”.
Putin, “including for his own survival, needs to keep eating,” Macron said. “That means he is a predator, an ogre at our gates.”
This did not mean that France would “come under attack tomorrow”, Macron stated, “but of course this is a threat to Europe (…) let’s not be naive.”
