French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in an interview with French newspaper Libération that Europe succeeded in revising the US position on Greenland through unity and the clarity of its messages.
Europe must assert itself and resist intimidation
Barrot argued that Europe is far stronger than some believe, adding that it must assert itself as a major power capable of deterring any attack against its interests.
In the extensive interview, the French Foreign Minister said Europe needed to move towards strategic autonomy in areas such as defence, energy, food, medicines and others, emphasising that it must be able to resist any attempt at intimidation or coercion.
US in both military and negotiation posture
Regarding developments in Iran, Barrot said the US is in a state of military confrontation, while simultaneously proposing negotiations with the Tehran regime, which, as he says, should seize the opportunity, make significant concessions and undertake a radical change of stance.
He argued the authorities in Tehran must stop posing a threat to the regional environment as well as to the Iranian people themselves, underlining that he has negotiated many times with his Iranian counterpart. Due to the failure to reach an agreement, France decided to reimpose the embargoes decided by the United Nations on military equipment, nuclear matters and banks, which had been lifted ten years ago.
Russian loss of life exceeds 1.25 million in Ukraine war
On Ukraine, the French Minister said his country will continue to stand by Kyiv, noting that Vladimir Putin, through his attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, is seeking to provoke a humanitarian crisis by committing war crimes that, as he says, “cannot go unpunished”.
Barrot says that Russia’s human losses exceed 1.25 million and are higher than total human losses during the Soviet period after 1945. Regarding the possibility of renewed communication between the French President and his Russian counterpart, Barrot says that France has never ruled out consultations with Russia, on the condition that they are transparent both to Ukraine and to France’s European partners.
“The Europeans, who are currently the main supporters of Ukraine both economically and militarily, must have a channel of communication in order to protect their interests without shifting this responsibility onto anyone else,” he said.
Trump’s Board of Peace ‘competes’ with UN Charter
Concerning the ‘Board of Peace’ announced by US President Donald Trump, Barrot said France did not sign the relevant Charter because it considers that at this stage it competes with the United Nations Charter. However, he noted that France considers the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip an important step, as well as the establishment there of Palestinian authorities that should undertake the disarmament of Hamas.
Syrian Kurds ‘not abandoned’
Finally, regarding Syria and particularly the Kurds, the Foreign Minister said France does not abandon its allies and that the agreement signed between the Syrian government and the Kurds recognises their identity within a united Syrian nation.
Source: Liberation, CNA