Macron tries the last card. But there is a fear of Putin

Another phone call between the French President Emmanuel Macron The Russian President Russian President Vladimir Putin ends in a stalemate. The president of the Elysee can continue to see himself as the last leader of NATO, the European Union and the Security Council to keep the channel for dialogue with the Kremlin open. This is definitely an added advantage. But the results of the numerous phone conversations with Putin do not seem to have the desired effect. It now appears that the French president himself almost succumbed to the evidence of a Russian leader convinced of his reasons and, above all, his methods.

It is clear that Macron did not reveal any details of the nearly two-hour conversation between him and the Russian president. But there are two elements that were leaked by the Elysée: the remains of Putin.very firm“on the objectives to be achieved and”sAnd not by negotiations, it will do so with military operationswords that unequivocally indicate that there is no possibility of surrender for Moscow, except by obtaining what it considers a priority on its agenda, which is “De-Nazification” Ukraine, recognition of Crimea and Donbass and the neutrality of Kyiv. Macron asked, “Respect international humanitarian law, and ensure the protection of the civilian population and the provision of humanitarian assistance. He noted the importance of finding a solution in the course of negotiations that would be completely acceptable to the UkrainiansGuarantees of non-aggression against . were also requested nuclear power plants. However, the Elysee still concerned great. Fear emerged after the penultimate conversation with the head of the Kremlin, when the Elysee issued a note in which he wrote President Macron’s prediction “The worst is that it is not yet clear what President Putin told him“.

The Elysee fears that Putin is acting irrationally. For some time Western intelligence They are skeptical about the actions of the Russian president. Whether it is certain decisions dictated by obvious pragmatism or a dangerous desire to increase tension and win at any cost. Some analysts have also focused on the psychological image of the leader, divided between those who now consider him a solitary man and wholly devoid of perception of reality, and those who instead believe that he is simply “playing crazy” to block his movements.

What is certain is that pessimism often comes from Paris, and it cannot be underestimated. As Stefano Montefiore writes: Corriere della Sera“An Elysee adviser who attended these talks described the Russian leader as “paranoid”, confirming for the first time and at a high level the suspicion that Putin had lost his reason.“Above all, it is disturbing that the Russian president not only repeats his goals over and over again without any kind of failure, but also inaccurate accounts of what is happening on the ground, such as Shelling in civilian areas. Which the Kremlin seems to deny in every phone call.

The signal that the Elysee wants to make is that at this moment France is trying to keep a channel of dialogue open also as a window into the world of the Kremlin president, so as not to isolate itself further. It’s hard to decide the right tactic: Macron is sure to get something important, which is to increase consensus. Looking at the presidential elections, it is not a fact to be underestimated for those who want to re-help the country.