The author of this eulogy to the dynamism and determination of Emmanuel Macron sees with a good eye his ambition to become the leader of the “new Europe”, especially if he keeps certain commitments made to Putin.
The more than five-hour meeting between Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron, which ended on the night of February 7-8, is one of the most significant international political events of the moment. The frenzied media coverage he has received in Europe and the United States confirms this. The analyses as to the outcome of the meeting are very diverse : The Guardian and The New York Times they claim that the meeting did not lead to any significant progress. The Times and CNN among other media, on the other hand, they believe that, on the contrary, it will have made it possible to get out of a blocked situation.
The attitude of Putin and Macron at the press conference following the interview suggests that both sides are satisfied with the result. There is no loser, both presidents can consider themselves winners. Vladimir Putin will have been able to show the whole world his tone and composure by conducting such long and difficult discussions, but he will also have managed to get Macron to indirectly support his position on Ukraine. He can therefore add these negotiations to his personal record.
For Macron, the stakes of this visit were much higher. He went to Moscow in the middle of the French presidential campaign in order to find common ground with a man whom only the eternal Chancellor Angela Merkel could try to convince on the European side.
The defining “Russian map”
It is clear that these negotiations and their outcome will have a direct effect on Macron’s election campaign. Firstly, Russian-Ukrainian relations are now at the top of the global political agenda, and Macron’s active role in managing this crisis gives him credit in the eyes of world elites. Secondly, given the strong involvement of the UK in politics
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Dmitry Fetisov
Source
A leading business and financial daily, Vedomosti was established in 1999 by the Russian Sanoma Independent Media group Sanoma and published in partnership with the Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal
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