Moscow: After French president Emmanuel Macron said that France wants to see Russia defeated in its aggression against Ukraine, Russia said it still remembers the fate of Napoleon Bonapart. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova also accused France of "duplicitous diplomacy" with Moscow.
She said France did not begin with Macron and the remains of Napoleon, revered at the state level, rest in the centre of Paris. "In general, Macron is priceless." She added that his remarks showed the West engaged in discussions about regime change in Russia when Macron sought meetings with the Russian leadership, reported Reuters.
The French President told Le Journal du Dimanche that France wanted Russia to be defeated in Ukraine but had never wanted to "crush" it. He on Friday urged allies to step up military support for Ukraine. However, he also mentioned that he did not believe in regime change and there would have to be negotiations at some point.
"Let's be clear, I don't believe for one second in regime change. And when I hear a lot of people calling for regime change I ask them, For which change? Who's next? Who is your leader?" he asked. Macron has been criticised by some NATO allies for giving mixed messages about his policy on the war between Ukraine and Russia. Some also think France is a weak link in the Western alliance.
To clarify his stand, he told the newspaper that he did not believe a democratic solution from within civil society would emerge in Russia after years of hardening Moscow's position and conflict.