Macron's Statement On Security Guarantees For Russia Reflects Position Change - Expert

French President Emmanuel Macron's statement that providing security guarantees to Moscow should be part of peace talks on the Ukrainian conflict reflects a change in position, but the French leader does not have the means to advance such a settlement at the moment, Xavier Moreau, an arms expert and geopolitical analyst from the French think tank Stratpol, told Sputnik

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th December, 2022) French President Emmanuel Macron's statement that providing security guarantees to Moscow should be part of peace talks on the Ukrainian conflict reflects a change in position, but the French leader does not have the means to advance such a settlement at the moment, Xavier Moreau, an arms expert and geopolitical analyst from the French think tank Stratpol, told Sputnik.

Last week, Macron said that the future architecture of European security following the restoration of peace in Ukraine should include security guarantees for Russia.

"Yes, I think his position on Ukraine is evolving: he sees the consequences of the European sanctions and the energy crisis that awaits us this winter. He is stressed," Moreau said, adding that Macron somewhat surprised US commentators by clearly acknowledging that it was unacceptable for Russia to let NATO approach its borders.

However, asked if the French president had the means to lobby for such scenario, the expert said that he had big doubts on that. In Moreau's opinion, Macron can speculate about post-settlement Ukraine, but the conflict is far from over.

"There will be a winner and a loser, that's for sure. And everything leads us to believe today that it is Russia that will win this conflict, when we listen to serious analysts. I don't really know what Macron is talking about, but there is a slight progress," the analyst noted.

For Moreau, it is evident that Macron's subordinates convinced him that Moscow was winning the special operation.

"Hence the importance of reminding all today in his communication of the role that NATO and its threats played at the origin of the conflict, and the need in future negotiations to take into account the conditions of 'Russia's security' and its borders," the expert explained.

According to Moreau, the French leader understood that European countries must prepare for life in new political conditions after the settlement of the Ukrainian conflict, which should involve security guarantees for Russia.

"It is actually a comeback to the discussions he had with (Russian President) Vladimir Putin on February 8 in Moscow, before the beginning of the special operation in Ukraine," Moreau concluded.

In early February, Macron paid a visit to Moscow for talks with Putin. During the meeting, the Russian president expressed regret to the French leader that the responses of the US and NATO to Russia's security proposals were "secondary" and did not address fundamental issues.

In December 2021, Russia proposed draft agreements on security guarantees for NATO and Washington, requesting that the alliance would not expand eastward and would not incorporate Ukraine and other post-Soviet countries. On January 2022, the US and NATO officially rejected Russia's proposal, stressing that the alliance would not change its stance on the right of sovereign nations to join the bloc. At the same time, the US and NATO committed not to deploy nuclear weapons in Eastern Europe.