Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Emmanuel Macron during talks in the KremlinMOSCOW, February 8 >Negotiations between the presidents of Russia and France in Moscow, as well as between the German and American leaders in Washington, attracted the attention of the Western press. However, the publications assessed the results of these meetings differently. The dialogue between the presidents of the Russian Federation and France, Vladimir Putin and Emmanuel Macron, was called «perhaps the most important meeting» for the security of Europe. As noted in the press, the French leader's attempts to find a way out of the crisis in relations with Moscow worries Washington and London, but they showed the intention of Paris to make the Europeans take their fate into their own hands.
Decisive days are coming. What Putin explained to Macron for almost six hours At the same time, negotiations between US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz did not go smoothly, despite all the assurances of a reliable partnership. Scholz did not directly say that Nord Stream 2, the pipeline through which gas can be supplied from Russia to Germany, bypassing Ukraine, will be stopped. And the insistent demands of the American leader on this issue sounded “not so much as an agreement between friends, but as a direct order,” the media say. Macron as a negotiator According to the American New York Times, the meeting between Putin and Macron on Monday in Moscow was “unusual” as duration, and in format — the leaders communicated tete-a-tete, without assistants in the hall. At the same time, many Western publications emphasized that Macron had shown himself to be the most active negotiator with Moscow in advance, since only in December 2021 he called up five times with the head of the Russian state. As another American newspaper Washington Post notes, Macron was determined to use the «intermediary tone» , even called the Russian Federation a «neighbor and friend.» The British Times emphasizes that Macron's enthusiasm is not shared by the United States and Eastern European countries. His attempts to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis in relations with the Russian Federation worry Washington, London and other militant NATO members. Western governments have noticed that Macron's words about the new security system are close to the language used by Russia, the newspaper writes. The New York Times also notes that, although Macron himself said that he coordinated his actions with allies, he did not escape criticism for that «too carefully» refers to the proposals of Moscow. Macron also got from the Politico newspaper. «Makron entered the bear's lair and was torn to pieces,» she wrote.In Kiev, they were afraid of Macron's visit after his meeting with PutinThe most important meetingNevertheless, most Western publications appreciated the significance of the talks between Putin and Macron. The French Figaro did not even rule out that this meeting could be the most important «for the future of Ukraine, for the security of Europe» and for Macron himself, since French presidential elections are coming soon. At the same time, according to the publication, Putin remains the master of the game at the moment. The French edition of Echos turned out to be more restrained — «not a dialogue of the deaf, but it is still far from a compromise,» it wrote about the negotiations. The German magazine Spiegel called «success» already one duration of negotiations in the Kremlin, which took more than five hours. According to a correspondent of another German publication, the business newspaper Handelsblatt, the French leader views the situation around Ukraine «as yet another evidence that the Europeans must take their fate into their own hands.» Both Spiegel and Handelsblatt emphasized that Macron stands for «European sovereignty.» According to the New York Times, Putin, whom the newspaper calls «an experienced political tactician», left the whole world guessing about his intentions after the talks.
The State Duma commented on the results of Putin's talks with MacronSholz and Biden: not an agreement, but an orderThe meeting between Biden and Scholz, which took place on Monday in Washington, was also not easy. Scholz, who only recently took over as German chancellor, has been repeatedly criticized for refusing to provide weapons to Ukraine. In addition, as noted by the Times, Scholz is considered «NATO's weakest link» due to Germany's economic ties with the Russian Federation and «energy dependence» on Moscow. do justice to oneself. Biden spoke to him in a businesslike manner, without the kindness he bestows on some of the other guests. According to the newspaper, on one crucial issue, the obvious dissonance could not be eliminated: on the controversial topic of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, differences in positions are again becoming obvious. Nord Stream 2 «will not happen» in the event of an escalation in Ukraine. According to the publication, the «persistent demand» of the American leader sounded «not so much as an agreement between friends, but as a direct order.» In this context, the New York Times drew attention to the fact that Scholz, even in response to «repeated questions,» did not directly say that Nord Stream 2 would be stopped: the German Chancellor preferred to get by with only the phrase «absolute unity.» that no one is in danger, and all such statements are used as an excuse to deploy more NATO military equipment near Russian borders. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia does not create any pretexts for a conflict situation around Ukraine. According to him, Russia does not rule out that the hysteria around Ukraine, hyped by the West, is aimed at covering Kiev's line of sabotaging the Minsk agreements on Donbass. According to the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, the information hysteria of the United States and NATO on Ukraine is generously framed by lies and fakes. The Russian Federation has repeatedly stated that the Nord Stream 2 project, which the United States actively opposes, promoting its liquefied natural gas in the EU, as well as Ukraine, fearing to lose transit, commercial, it is beneficial to Europe, and urged to stop mentioning it in the context of any politicization. Moscow has also stated that it intends to continue transiting gas through Ukraine.
