French President Emmanuel Macron was wrong when he spoke about not wanting to “humiliate” Russia over its actions in Ukraine, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky has said.
“Russia is the aggressor, and we shouldn’t take into account if Russia is humiliated or not,” the official told CNN Prima News on Sunday. “Macron probably doesn’t understand the issue very well. Putin doesn’t care how Russia is perceived in the West,”
The minister argued that Europe “should not forget about Ukraine,” and talks with Russia “must be primarily conducted by Ukrainians themselves.”
Earlier this month, Macron told French media: “We must not humiliate Russia, so that the day when the fighting stops we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means.”
He expressed hope that France would mediate in the conflict.