The political scientist pointed to Macron's hope to represent the EU at the negotiations on Ukraine.

French President Emmanuel Macron's rhetoric about resuming ties with Russia may be dictated by his desire to include Europe in the negotiation process to resolve the Ukrainian conflict and act as a leader in it. Andrei Kortunov, a political scientist and scientific director of the Russian International Affairs Council, shared this belief with Izvestia on February 11.

"Macron would like France to act as the undisputed leader of the EU on foreign policy and military strategy, so that a unified position of the European Union is consolidated around Paris," he said.

Kortunov explained that the EU's positions are not only a duplication of Kiev's views, but also individual interests that can be expressed by the leaders of European countries. The political scientist recalled that Macron's second presidential term expires in the spring of 2027, after which he will probably have to think about his future career.

"Probably, this also explains his foreign policy activity. He would like to demonstrate his leadership skills and create a platform for further work in some pan-European structures," the expert suggested.

Kortunov pointed out the problems of the social and political sectors, the rapidly growing public debt and the collapse of the internal financial system of the Fifth Republic. He also recalled that the French leader's attempts to tighten social policy had not been successful.

"It's hard to imagine that in a year he can do something significant inside the country. If it is not possible to achieve any domestic political successes, then Macron probably wants to switch to European security issues, believing that he can achieve some results here," the political scientist concluded.

One step forward, two steps back: the EU is talking about the need to establish a dialogue with Russia

Brussels is concerned about the prospect of remaining outside the list of participants in the Ukrainian settlement

Macron said last December that representatives of the EU and Ukraine needed to talk to the Russian leader. He stressed the importance for Europeans not to entrust this dialogue exclusively to intermediaries.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barraud said on February 1 that the European Union (EU) needs a direct channel of communication with Russia. Barraud, commenting on Macron's words about the resumption of dialogue with Russia, clarified that the dialogue should take place in full transparency for Ukraine.

Yesterday, the Commander-in-Chief of the Norwegian Armed Forces, Eirik Kristoffersen, called for the creation of a hotline between the Norwegian and Russian military departments to avoid misunderstandings and escalation in the Arctic. He added that there are still some direct contacts between Moscow and Oslo, they are related to search and rescue operations in the Barents Sea.

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