PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday (Aug 19) warned European allies not to trust Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he called “an ogre at our gates”.
Macron’s remarks came as Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy looked set for a peace summit after fast-moving talks on Monday between Donald Trump and European leaders that focused on the key issue 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 said he did not believe that 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 said, “but of course this is a threat to Europe … let’s not be naive”.
