Vladimir Fedorov analyzes the joint press conference of Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Putin at Versailles. In his opinion, even if not voiced any significant decisions at the international level, Emmanuel macron has made clear his intention to ease tensions with the Kremlin.
Le FigaroVox: After a personal meeting with Emmanuel macron and Vladimir Putin spoke at a joint press conference. What do you think about this speech?
Vladimir Fedorov: It can be described in one word — realism. Both presidents sought to show greater realism and to overcome the international context, sometimes accentuated by the Syrian and Ukrainian dossier or accusations prevailed over Vladimir Putin, in an attempt to influence the French presidential elections. They chose to respond firmly but calmly to all the issues and demonstrated a pragmatic approach, investing the necessary warmth and understanding in the resolution, for example, the problems of terrorism, despite the ideological and ethical differences often sensitive nature.
— Was there any tension at certain points during the press conference?
— The only thing that brought Vladimir Putin to the confusion, this is when Emmanuel macron has begun to answer questions about his relationship to the Russian media. Macron spoke very sharply about Russia Today and Sputnik. The behavior of these two media during his election campaign he didn’t like, and they were denied access to the campaign headquarters. He called the media “propaganda organs” than obviously embarrassed by Vladimir Putin.
Three hundred years after the first visit to France Peter Emmanuel macron took the Russian President in Versailles, which is a historic symbol of France…
This day was filled with historical and cultural symbols. Macron reminded that “history is ahead of us,” and both presidents spoke about the strong relations between the two countries for centuries. And although nothing decisive and was an important international dossiers, Emmanuel macron stressed the importance of the language of symbols, which is its signature feature. He perfectly uses this technique to assert your authority and status of the President.
He understood perfectly that the characters take precedence over everything else. After the cold relations with the Kremlin, forced rather than pursued by françois Hollande, Emmanuel macron provoked tensions, reviving a position in the spirit of Mitterrand and de Gaulle, which he certainly road. He used the word “de-escalation”, clearly demonstrating their desire to overcome confrontation and to return to the reconciliation and pragmatic relations with Moscow. For this reason, we can say that this day marks an important shift for Franco-Russian relations.
