While French President Emmanuel Macron argued that in order to resolve the conflict in Ukraine through diplomacy, Russia "must not be humiliated", former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton does not seem to share his view on the subject.
According to Le Point magazine, Clinton criticised Macron’s stance during her recent visit to Paris, using epithets such as "outdated" while describing the French president’s suggested approach.
"When we say that we don't want to humiliate Russia, quite frankly, that seems a bit outdated to me", she said while speaking on France Culture radio’s programme "Foreign Affairs".
Clinton also claimed that Russian President Vladimir Putin "crossed the red line a long time ago", and that he sees himself as the first Russian emperor, Peter the Great, who waged "an incessant war against Sweden, against the Baltic, Scandinavian and Northern countries for more than 20 years".
She further insisted that it is those "on the front line", like the "Baltic or Polish leaders", who "have a much clearer view of who Putin really is and what his goals are", Le Point notes.
Previously, French President Emmanuel Macron revealed that he had held numerous phone conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin since December, discussing the situation in Ukraine before and after Russia launched its ongoing military operation there.
Having suggested that Russia "must not be humiliated" in order to be able to find a way to resolve the conflict in Ukraine "through diplomacy the day the hostilities stop", Macron also postulated that France’s role in that situation is to be the "mediating power".