Ukrainians will decide when peace is possible, Macron tells Rome peace summit
- French President Emmanuel Macron speaks at the opening of a three-day peace conference in Rome
- France has repeatedly stressed the importance of keeping Western diplomatic channels to Moscow open
Ukrainians will decide when peace is possible, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday at the start of a peace summit in Rome.
Since the beginning of the conflict in February, Macron has differed from other Western leaders in pushing to keep talks open with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
“Let’s not let peace be hostage to Russian power,” Macron said during a speech at the start of the gathering organised by the Community of Sant’Egidio, a Catholic charity based in Rome.
“Peace is possible, but only they (Ukrainians) will decide when they decide it.
“Peace will be built with the other, who is today’s enemy, around a table,” he said at the summit in front of hundreds of political and religious leaders from around the world.
Macron has faced criticism over his repeated calls to negotiate with Putin.
He acknowledged that “calling for peace today can be unbearable for those who fight for their freedom, and give them the feeling of being somehow betrayed”.
