Macron refuses to close airspace in Ukraine to refugees

Paris, 15 Mar French President Emmanuel Macron again today rejected the establishment of a no-fly zone in Ukraine, as requested by a group of Ukrainian refugees on a visit to a reception center in western France, as that would mean going to war with Russia. “I have immense respect for the demands that have been made to us. They are legitimate, but the decision we have made and that I am taking is not to go to war with Russia,” Macron told the press at the end of that visit in Pommeraye, in the department of Maine et Loire. He recalled that the priority of France and the European Union (EU) is to impose the “most massive sanctions” on Moscow, humanitarian and military support to Ukraine and the diplomatic initiative “to isolate Russia,” he explained. The French president did not rule out the possibility of traveling to Moscow or Kiev, although not in the next few days. Right now, he regretted, “there are no conditions to think that this displacement could change things.” However, Macron recalled that he talks “every day” with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelensky, and he also does so on a recurring basis with Russian President Vladimir Putin to seek “a useful solution.” Macron said that France is ready to host 100,000 Ukrainian refugees and “we will be in solidarity with the countries that host a lot.” He added that in the coming days there will be “particularly” help to Moldova, a country bordering Ukraine that has received tens of thousands of Ukrainians who have fled the war. The French president thanked, with a message on his Twitter account, for the “massive” response from the French to the reception of Ukrainian refugees, as 33,000 offers have been received from citizens. The Government will be mobilizing over the next few weeks and months to provide refugees with medical assistance, shelter and education, Macron said. Regarding the energy crisis generated by the conflict, Macron warned that Europeans have to prepare “to all possibilities”, noting that his Executive has taken measures in favour of purchasing power in the short term. He warned that Russia's retaliation against Western sanctions could lead to a reduction in hydrocarbon flows, so “every eventuality” must be foreseen. On the other hand, he defended criticism that France continued to deliver military equipment to Russia between 2015 and 2020, after the international embargo following the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, insisting that everything was done legally. “France conformed to international law in 2014 (...). He made the decisions that needed to be made in 2014. We adjusted scrupulously.” The French president at the time, François Hollande, decided to interrupt some military contracts with Russia. CHIEF JMC/AC/FPA (video) (photo)