**Paris, 10 March 2025**
Q. – Russia has denounced “confrontational rhetoric” from the European Union; Vladimir Putin has compared Emmanuel Macron to Napoleon… Is there a dangerous escalation?
THE MINISTER – Vladimir Putin gets extremely agitated when faced with Ukraine and its allies, who have demonstrated their unshakeable determination, in their exchanges with the American administration, to end this war \[and\] create the conditions for a just, lasting peace – everything that Putin wants to avoid. He sees Russia’s destiny as that of an empire that wants to expand its borders by force.
Q. – But isn’t this language particularly worrying? The Kremlin talks about a “threat against Russia”, and “appropriate retaliatory measures”…
THE MINISTER – Let’s not be intimidated. On Thursday the Europeans took the historic decision to give themselves the means to ensure their own security at a time when their security is threatened by Russia, and when the United States has decided to reduce its level of military engagement on our continent. The fact that Putin is pushing nuclear rhetoric isn’t unusual, but it’s totally irresponsible from a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Q. – For the first time, French Mirage jets repelled Russian strikes on Friday. Will we have to go on delivering more?
THE MINISTER – It was a commitment made in June 2024 to support Ukraine’s resistance against the aggressor. France’s commitment was honoured.
Q. – Could France go to war? That’s the fear of many French people; what do you say to them?
THE MINISTER – Our objective is to guarantee the conditions for lasting peace on the European continent. But we’ve got to accept that the threat has changed in the past three years: it has become international with North Korean soldiers entering the conflict, and has spread to all fields of conflict. Either we remain blind to the fact that the front line has moved closer to us, and eventually we’ll be unavoidably dragged into war. Or we give ourselves the means to deter the threat, and have peace. This is the whole aim of the European summit which took place in Brussels on Thursday, as critical a moment for European security as the creation of NATO in 1949. There was 1949, there’ll be 2025. (…)
Q. – Is Donald Trump still a friend, an ally?
THE MINISTER – The United States is an ally. We don’t want to become estranged from it. It can’t manage without Europe. It vitally needs the 450 million Europeans who use the American digital giants’ platforms, the €350 billion of our savings that finance the American economy every year and its sizeable public deficit. It vitally needs our talent, our researchers who fill their major companies and universities. Without Europe, America would be less strong, less safe and less prosperous.
Q. – Could these be weapons used in response to the trade barriers?
THE MINISTER – They’re vital needs for America. The aim obviously isn’t to enter into a confrontation with America, but it goes without saying that we’ll defend our interests firmly. Europe is a power unconsciously, even though it would have capabilities to strike deep in economic terms to protect itself if necessary.
Q. – Emmanuel Macron continues to treat Donald Trump with kid gloves, despite his violent language. Why such indulgence? Is it because we need him, despite everything?
THE MINISTER – Today, to end the war in Ukraine we need the United States to play an active part. The fact that Donald Trump wants to get Vladimir Putin to negotiate peace is a good thing. He mustn’t be dissuaded from doing so. But as regards tomorrow, we no longer want to find ourselves in this situation where we depend on the United States for our security.
Q. – On Friday you spoke on the telephone to your counterpart, Marco Rubio. Is there progress?
THE MINISTER – He remains as determined as ever to reach a lasting peace agreement. We agreed to meet again very soon with our Ukrainian and British colleagues to continue our efforts along these lines.
Q. – Who will be at the meeting of military chiefs of staff in Paris on Tuesday?
THE MINISTER – The meeting will bring together armed forces heads from European countries and \[other\] allies of Ukraine who’d like to contribute, in one way or another, to the military capabilities that will deter any further aggression against Ukraine, once peace is concluded.
Q. – What’s actually going to happen there? Is the objective to draw up troop-deployment plans?
THE MINISTER – The objective will be to share diagnoses and analyses and bring them into line. The challenge is to define the means of supporting the Ukrainian army over the long term and the capabilities to be deployed for guaranteeing peace. That’s a first.
Q. – But since the Russians are opposed to any European presence on Ukrainian soil, would these forces override a veto by the Kremlin?
THE MINISTER – They’ve always been opposed to a European presence in Ukraine. This was the case 10 years ago, and it enabled the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. So it’s through pressure that we’ll have to get Russia to accept a peace treaty providing for all the conditions necessary for a definitive end to the hostilities.
Q. – For pressure to work, the Americans need to exert it too. Do you trust them to do this?
THE MINISTER – That’s the thrust of our messages to them.
Q. – And yet Trump continues to say it’s easier to deal with Russia than Ukraine…
THE MINISTER – I note that following Russia’s mass attacks at the end of the week, Donald Trump threatened to impose customs tariffs and heavy sanctions on it until a ceasefire and definitive peace agreement are concluded.
Q. – Why is the executive still against seizing Russian assets? Many people, even in your camp, are arguing for this solution?
THE MINISTER – Since 2022, we’ve frozen all Russian public assets present in Europe. Last year we seized the interest paid on these assets in order to provide Ukraine with €45 billion, without any cost to European taxpayers. At this stage, we believe that going further would present more disadvantages than advantages.
Q. – What next following the debate begun by the President on the nuclear deterrent, the French umbrella? Could we imagine a sort of alliance of interested countries, a “protected zone”?
THE MINISTER – The first stage is to allow our European partners to understand the European dimension of our deterrent more effectively at a time when some of them have decided to make huge efforts in terms of defence. At any rate, the deterrent is and will remain controlled from start to finish by France./.
Published on 12/03/2025