French President Emmanuel Macron. File photoPARIS, Apr 20France's role is to prevent escalation in Ukraine, says French presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron. «We need to stick to our line, which is to prevent the spread of this war. It is also the role of France to support Ukraine,» Macron said during a televised debate with his rival, the right-wing National Rally candidate Marine Le Pen.
Le Pen does not seek France's exit from the European UnionAccording to him, Europe, together with France, should become a «strength of balance.» The first round of presidential elections in France took place on April 10. According to the final data of the French Ministry of the Interior, Macron won 27.84% of the vote, Le Pen — 23.15%. The second round will take place on April 24. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at the military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and, as of March 25, they have completed the main tasks of the first stage — they have significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass.
