War in Ukraine: Putin, Refugees, China’s Role … Jean-Yves Le Drian Conference in Montpellier

Joseph Boral spoke first. Surprisingly, the Russian offensive in Ukraine was addressed directly. “We are not only in the military, we are in the process of destroying civilians.”

“We already have 1.6 million refugees across the border and expect up to 5 million more. We have never seen such a large influx of refugees since World War II. They should be welcomed by European nations.”

“We have already registered 100 million euros in aid to our partners. We have worked for 500 million euros for Ukraine, which was announced by the head of the European Commission.”

“In the future, we must move towards concrete and realistic concessions to build a geopolitical Europe. We must be more committed to safeguarding our interests. The Ukrainian crisis has a catastrophic effect in this direction.”

Ecological problems were also discussed during this meeting, but in this context they seem secondary.

“Putin seeks Ukraine’s denial”

Jean-Yves le Drian later said: “The European Union has announced 500 million euros in humanitarian aid. We have decided in France to allocate 100 million euros for refugees.”

“The search is for Ukraine’s refusal. Let it bend. The terms of President Putin’s negotiations are the terms of the submission negotiations.”

“It strikes me that the EU is united, quick, strong and courageous in its decisions. The Europe we have today is not the Europe it was ten days ago.”

What will be China’s role?

Joseph Borel: “Although China is close to Russia, I urge China to do all it can to achieve a ceasefire. China can play a key role if it wants a diplomatic solution.”

Le Drian: “The president will meet with the Chinese president tomorrow. China can put pressure on Russia, and its withdrawal from the Security Council shows that there is not a complete compromise between China and Russia.”

The Minister reiterated: “We are heading for a very difficult period of siege. However, we have the same scenario that has always been repeated in the Russian siege: bombing, humanitarian corridor, condemnation of the corridor, attempt to negotiate, breakdown of negotiations and repeated bombings. It happened everywhere in Aleppo. There is a policy of free humanitarian access, which is currently being violated. I do not share the notion of a “humanitarian corridor”.