Important Takeaways:
- Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko reportedly said that the Kremlin wants an “ironclad” guarantee that Ukraine will be prohibited from joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), as the Trump administration works to broker a deal to end the fighting.
- “We will demand that ironclad security guarantees become part of this agreement,” Grushko was quoted by the Russian newspaper Izvestia as saying, according to Reuters. “Part of these guarantees should be the neutral status of Ukraine, the refusal of NATO countries to accept it into the alliance.”
- Grushko reportedly made no mention of the 30-day cease-fire proposal, which was accepted by Ukraine with U.S. negotiators in Saudi Arabia last week. Russian President Vladimir Putin has stated that any agreement must first meet crucial conditions.
- U.S. special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff told CNN on Sunday that Trump and Putin are expected to speak on the phone this week. Witkoff himself described having a “positive” and “solution-based” meeting with Putin in Moscow last week.
- Grushko reportedly reiterated in the interview with Izvestia that Russia remains strictly opposed to the deployment of European troops to Ukraine, as Britain, France and Australia have signaled being open to sending a NATO “peacekeeping” force to the country.
- “It does not matter under what label NATO contingents were to be deployed on Ukrainian territory: be it the European Union, NATO, or in a national capacity,” Grushko said, according to Reuters. “If they appear there, it means that they are deployed in the conflict zone with all the consequences for these contingents as parties to the conflict.”
- French President Emmanuel Macron, meanwhile, was quoted as telling several French media outlets on Saturday that the intention is to “deploy a few thousand men per nation, at key points, to carry out training programs” and “show our support over the long term.”
- “If Ukraine asks allied forces to be on its territory, it is not up to Russia to accept or not,” Macron reportedly said.
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Important Takeaways:
- The Kremlin’s fury came hours after Macron, other EU leaders and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met in Brussels for a landmark summit touted by participants as the start of a new era for European security.
- The discussions in the Belgian capital demonstrated Europe’s recognition that its security is no longer guaranteed as leaders agreed measures to free up hundreds of billions of euros for military spending by loosening the bloc’s budget restrictions.
- Following the summit, Macron told reporters he had been approached by several of his European counterparts who were interested in exploring the possibility of France sharing its nuclear deterrent.
- He also confirmed that Paris would host ‘exploratory’ talks with EU defense chiefs starting on Tuesday about the possible deployment of European forces in Ukraine once a peace deal is signed.
- The revelations, which came as French Mirage fighter jets were deployed by Ukraine’s air force for the first time to down Russian missiles and drones, led the Kremlin to deliver a venom-tongued retort to the French President.
- Macron does not act very diplomatically,’ Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference yesterday, echoing similar comments made by Vladimir Putin.
- ‘It was very strange to me to hear that Mr. Macron, in an aggressive manner, continuing the work of Napoleon, who wanted to conquer Russia.’
- Earlier this week, Lavrov had chastised Macron for floating the idea of sharing France’s nuclear weapons with other European nations.
- ‘Of course it is a threat against Russia. If he sees us as a threat… and says that it is necessary to use a nuclear weapon, is preparing to use a nuclear weapon against Russia, of course it is a threat,’ Lavrov declared.
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Important Takeaways:
- President Trump said Monday that his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron marked an “important step” in ending the war between Russia and Ukraine…
- Trump and Macron, who have a long-standing relationship after both came to office in 2017, held a bilateral meeting and news conference Monday afternoon, after participating in a Group of Seven leadership call earlier in the day to mark three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Macron is the first European leader to visit the White House since Mr. Trump returned to office last month.
- “France is America’s oldest ally, our cherished partnership has been a force for freedom, prosperity and peace from the very beginning,” Mr. Trump said. “We’re now working on some very interesting developments, one in particular, as you know, the war between Russia and Ukraine.”
- Citing France’s support during the American Revolution and during World War II, Mr. Trump said the purpose of the meeting was to “end another battle,” the war between Russia and Ukraine.
- “The horrors of this gruesome and bloody war can scarcely be underestimated,” Mr. Trump said, citing the Russians and Ukrainians who have “needlessly died.” “It’s time to end this bloodletting and restore peace, and I think we’re going to do it.”
- Trump called his meeting with Macron an “important step” toward achieving a permanent peace between Russia and Ukraine. He said it’s in the best interest of the U.S., Ukraine, Russia and Europe more broadly to “stop the killing now and bring the world to peace.” He added that he hopes his legacy will be of “a peacemaker and a unifier.”
- Macron said with the new U.S. administration, there’s “good reason for President Trump to reengage with President Putin,” while warning that Putin could violate a negotiated peace. Macron said “being strong and having deterrence capacities is the only way to be sure it will be respected,” saying the U.S. “has the capacity to do so.”
- “A lot of my European colleagues are ready to be engaged, but we do need this American backup because this is part of the credibility of the security guarantees. And this is our collective deterrence capacity,” Macron said. “And I have the feeling that the president has this capacity.”
- Macron made clear the shared objective of peace, while praising the “bravery and resistance of the Ukrainian people.” The French president also touted the friendship between the U.S. and France, along with his personal friendship with Mr. Trump, while noting that this is a “very important moment for Europe.” Macron said European leaders are willing to be a “stronger partner” and do more on defense and security within the continent.
- Trump is also set to meet with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the White House later this week.
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Important Takeaways:
- The Ukrainian government praised France’s “determination” for sending military advisors to the country, saying it hoped Paris making the first move would encourage other Western partners to deploy troops too.
- A months-long drama over French President Emmanuel Macron’s apparently intractable desire to deploy French soldiers directly to Ukraine appears to be approaching the point of action, as Ukraine reveals it has now legally cleared the way for foreign troops to arrive.
- Ukraine’s new Commander in Chief General Oleksandr Syrskyi and the nation’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov had talks with their French counterpart Defense Minister Sebastien Lecorne, they said on Sunday, underlining how they welcomed French troops and appealed to the country for more equipment and ammunition to be donated.
- France’s Macron faced a barrage of criticism from fellow NATO leaders over going public with his views on sending troops to Ukraine, but despite the furor has restated that position dozens of times since. Earlier this month, Macron said he would not “rule anything out”, stating his view that: “If Russia wins in Ukraine, there will be no security in Europe”.
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Important Takeaways:
- Emmanuel Macron has said he would be prepared to send troops to Ukraine if Vladimir Putin’s forces break through the front lines – further raising the risk of NATO forces clashing with Russia’s armies.
- In an interview published today, the French president said the issue of sending troops would ‘legitimately’ arise if Kyiv and President Volodymyr Zelensky made such a request.
- The Economist said Macron gave the interview after delivering a keynote speech last week where he declared that Europe is ‘mortal’ and could ‘die’ partly due to the threat posed by Russian aggression after its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
- It also came as Russia claimed its forces had taken another town in Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, with Moscow’s armies continuing to push against Kyiv’s defenses.
- Russia is rushing to advance against struggling Ukrainian forces ahead of the long-awaited arrival of the bulk of US weapons to the front for Kyiv’s outgunned troops.
- ‘I’m not ruling anything out, because we are facing someone who is not ruling anything out,’ Macron said when asked if he stood by comments earlier this year not excluding the sending of Western troops that sent shockwaves around Europe.
- Such a move would see NATO troops go head-to-head with those in the Russian army, dramatically increasing the risk of an escalation.
- ‘I have a clear strategic objective: Russia cannot win in Ukraine,’ Macron said.
- ‘If Russia wins in Ukraine, there will be no security in Europe,’ he warned.
- ‘Who can pretend that Russia will stop there? What security will there be for the other neighboring countries, Moldova, Romania, Poland, Lithuania and the others?’
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Important Takeaways:
- Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday warned France that Russia has “no more red lines” for the country.
- His warning was directed at French President Emmanuel Macron, who earlier in the day reaffirmed Paris’ firm support for Kyiv in its war against Russia’s invading forces while meeting with France’s other party leaders at the Elysee Palace.
- Le Monde reported that after the meeting, Fabien Roussel—national secretary of the French Communist Party—said Macron had expressed how “France’s position has changed” regarding the war, and that “there are no more red lines, there are no more limits.
- Medvedev addressed the report from the French newspaper in a threatening X post.
- “Macron has said, ‘there are no more red lines, there are no more limits’ in terms of supporting Ukraine (Le Monde). Then that means, Russia has no more red lines left for France,” Medvedev wrote.
- The Kremlin official then added, “In hostem omina licita,” a Latin phrase that roughly translates as “everything is legal if it is done to an enemy.”
- “Nothing should be excluded,” the French President said, following a gathering of Ukraine’s backers in Paris on February 26. “We will do anything we can to prevent Russia from winning this war.”
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Important Takeaways:
- ‘Catastrophic scenario’ if NATO troops deploy to Ukraine – top Russian senator
- The possibility mulled by the French president could be taken as a declaration of war on Moscow, Konstantin Kosachev has said
- The potential deployment of NATO troops to Ukraine will lead to a “catastrophic scenario,” and could be interpreted as a “declaration of war” on Moscow, top Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev has said.
- The Vice Speaker of Russia’s upper chamber, the Federation Council, offered his take on remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron on the possibility of sending troops in a Telegram post on Tuesday. The approach exhibited by the French leader carries a risk of the situation devolving into a “catastrophic scenario,” Kosachev warned, stating that the move would not be tolerated by the Kremlin.
- “This is the line beyond which it’s no longer just NATO’s involvement in the war – this has been happening for a long time, but can be interpreted as the alliance entering direct hostilities, or even as a declaration of war,” Kosachev wrote.
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Mathew 24:12 And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.
Important Takeaways:
- Running on Fumes: Macron Forced to Travel With Generator Truck as Unions Literally Cut Off His Power
- Under massive pressure as a result of his controversial pension reforms, Macron is currently undertaking a public-relations blitz in France in the hopes of rallying the general public to his side.
- However, his whistle-stop tours of various regions across the country have not been going well, with the President’s visits often being met with protesters noisily banging pots and pans in the hopes of derailing the PR stunt.
- To make matters worse, trade unionists with access to the country’s national grid have also taken to cutting the power in areas where Macron is stopping in an effort to cause even further chaos for the head of state.
- Such a scheme appears to be working, with French Broadcaster TF1Info reporting the President and his entourage as now bringing along a truck-mounted diesel electric generator when visiting an area, seemingly in an attempt to circumvent the cuts.
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Revelations 6:3-4 “when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
Important Takeaways:
- Macron Working with Beijing on ‘Secret Plan’ for Peace Deal Between Ukraine and Russia: Reports
- French President Emmanuel Macron is reportedly actively working on a “secret plan” with Communist China to attempt to broker a peace deal by the summer between Russia and Ukraine.
- According to the report, the Elysée believes that such a deal could possibly be struck by the summer should certain conditions be met, namely that Kyiv succeeds in its Spring counter-offensive to such a degree that the Zelensky government would be able to come to the table with Vladimir Putin from a position of strength.
- An official from Macron’s office reportedly told the news outlet that the French president has tapped his foreign policy advisor Emmanuel Bonne to work alongside the CCP’s top diplomat, Wang Yi, to begin crafting a potential peace framework.
- In February, Beijing proposed a supposed framework for peace negotiations, including an immediate ceasefire, however, the approach was widely dismissed as being light on detail and unworkable given China’s close relationship with Russia.
- Yet, apparently, the French president believes that the communist regime — which has openly threatened to launch a territorial war itself to capture the democratic independent nation of Taiwan — is a genuine actor in the cause for peace.
- The reports come as Macron cause outrage in Berlin, London, and Washington over his comments following his China trip, in which he said that Europe shouldn’t “follow” America into a conflict with Beijing if the communist nation invades Taiwan and that Europe should develop its own “strategic autonomy” to stop being the “vassal” of the United States.
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Revelations 6:3-4 “when he opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come!” 4 And out came another horse, bright red. Its rider was permitted to take peace from the earth, so that people should slay one another, and he was given a great sword.
Important Takeaways:
- When Macron met Xi: Welcome to the New World disorder
- China’s leader is gathering autocratic regimes to his banner, Europe and the US are divided over how to respond, and the French president just lobbed a grenade onto the field of international diplomacy
- In 2019, he famously declared that Nato was experiencing “brain death”.
- In 2021-22, he took it upon himself to mediate, ostensibly on Europe’s behalf, with Vladimir Putin over Ukraine. Even after Putin ignored him and invaded, Macron insisted Moscow should be offered “security guarantees” and that Russia not be “humiliated”.
- At home, Macron has caused uproar in recent months by pushing through controversial pension reforms opposed by two-thirds of the population. The row has contributed to a plunging personal approval rating, down to 30% this month. Facing a confidence vote in March, his government survived by bypassing parliament. The reforms are under legal challenge, while violent nationwide protests are continuing. Yet insouciant Macron seems almost oblivious at times.
- The latest explosion was ignited by an interview Macron gave after a visit last weekend to Beijing…On China policy, European countries were too subservient to the US and should not be Washington’s “followers”… Macron also implied that defending democratic Taiwan from a Ukraine-type Chinese invasion was not Europe’s business.
- China, on the other hand, just loves Macron’s ideas about rescuing Europe from America’s smothering embrace. His comments were wildly applauded in state-controlled media
- If a European consensus view on China actually exists, it was possibly best expressed by Von der Leyen in a speech last month. China, she said, had become “more repressive at home and more assertive abroad,” and Europe must be bolder in response.
- EU countries should use economic measures such as screening of foreign subsidies and restrictions on sensitive technology transfers to rebalance relations with Beijing
- “China is a fascinating and complex mix of history, progress and challenges. And it will define this century,” she said. But her message to Beijing was unapologetic and – Macron please note – unbending. The tried-and-tested democratic international order, based on shared principles and values, could and would prevail.
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