War in Ukraine: Macron prepares minds for a “long war” – The HuffPost

POLICY – The face is closed; the tone, serious. Due to international situation more than worrying, Emmanuel Macron has reduced the format of its transition to Agricultural centrethis Saturday, February 26, which he inaugurated.

Instead of the traditional stroll through the stands for several hours, the Head of State addressed as soon as the show opens leaders of professional organizations. “This war will last” and “we must prepare for it with great determination”, he warned. Words so explicit for the first time publicly since the beginning of the conflict.

Words inevitably chosen to try to accustom the spirits to the gravity of the situation. Addressing the agricultural world, the president warned of “the consequences in our exports for the major sectors” and provided for this “an economic resilience plan”. “This war will have consequences on our lives”, he added, the features drawn according to the AFP present on the spot.

“There’s a sense of shock, because it’s a conventional war the likes of which we haven’t seen in a very long time. We cannot predict how long it will last, but clearly it is not going to stop now”, abounds, near the HuffPostTara Varma, director of the Paris office of the ECFR, European Council on Foreign Relations.

NATO enhanced military deterrence

On Friday, February 25, a NATO summit met to decide on the follow-up to be given to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The response is that of military deterrence with the reinforcement of resources in several areas. 500 soldiers were deployed in Romania, “a detachment of 300 soldiers and Leclerc tanks and VBCI armored vehicles is deployed alternately in Estonia and Lithuania,” the Ministry of the Armed Forces announced on Friday evening. Fighter and maritime surveillance planes have been mobilized “to police the skies in the Baltic States” as well as “naval means” in the Black Sea, the ministry further specifies in this press release.

“The allies have decided to strengthen their presence on the eastern flank, while France took over the leadership of NATO’s ‘Very High Readiness Joint Task Force’ in January 2022. This is the first time that such a deployment has happened since the existence of this organization”, deciphers Tara Varma, researcher in international relations, to underline the gravity of the situation.

“These military devices are not intended for any escalation, but simply to participate in the defense of NATO member countries”, insists the French Ministry of the Armed Forces in its press release. Nevertheless, during the NATO summit, Emmanuel Macron “stressed the need to remain very vigilant regarding the situation in Belarus, Moldova and Bosnia-Herzegovina”, informed the entourage of the President of the Republic.

On Saturday February 26, the Head of State spoke by telephone with the President of Moldova, Maia Sandu and the President of Georgia, Salomé Zurabishvili. The President of the Republic reaffirmed “his determination to support our partners in the eastern neighborhood of the European Union against any attempt at tension and destabilization”, and stands alongside these two States “to defend their sovereignty and their security” , revealed his entourage after these interviews.

“No one can know what will happen in 48 hours”

“The concern of our allies on the western front is that Vladimir Putin is attacking EU member countries, which would take the war into another dimension”, warns Tara Varma who notes that “cObviously Emmanuel Macron will be able to say ‘I did everything to try to dialogue’. But Vladimir Putin does not seem to want this dialogue. If there is to be an additional military response, it will be justified, because the diplomatic channel will have been exhausted”.

“This war was chosen unilaterally by President Putin with a tragic humanitarian situation, a people who are resisting and a Europe that is there”, concluded President Macron before the representatives of the agricultural sectors. The president will hold this Saturday at 5 p.m. a new restricted defense and national security council on the situation in Ukraine.

In the meantime, it is Jean Castex, the Prime Minister who relays the president at the national level. He replaced Emmanuel Macron at the Crif dinner on Friday evening and is spending the day at the agricultural show in his place this Saturday. On Monday, he will receive “all the political forces of the nation” to give them “the best possible level of information on the crisis”, his entourage told us. Asked about the content of this meeting, the adviser replied. “No one can know what will happen in 48 hours”.

See also on The HuffPost: War in Ukraine: fighting for control of Kiev continues