French President Emmanuel Macron defended his decision not to use the word “genocide” against Vladimir Putin, stressing that he said “verbal escalation” would not help Ukraine and could lead to Western intervention.
The French president told France Bleu radio that he spoke this morning with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, who yesterday expressed regret over Macron’s refusal to condemn what is happening in Ukraine as “genocide”. Today they will talk again, the head of the French state said.
“The word genocide matters,” and such qualifications should be made by lawyers, not politicians, Macron said on his way to the northwestern city of Le Havre as part of his presidential campaign.
“States that consider this to be genocide have an obligation to intervene in accordance with international conventions,” he said. “Is this what people want? I don’t think so, because that would mean becoming a participant in the conflict,” he said.
“Everyone should keep their cool,” Macron added, adding that “verbal escalation without calculating the consequences does not help Ukraine.”
“I adhere to the same line of action: do everything to stop this war, be on the side of the Ukrainians, continue to implement solidarity measures and work to return to peace and protect our compatriots from war,” Macron concluded.
Several leaders, including US President Joe Biden, have accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of committing “genocide” in Ukraine, a stance that Zelensky welcomed. Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and UN Secretary General António Guterres refrained from using the term. “Genocide is strictly defined in international law. At the UN, we rely on the legal definition of the relevant judiciary,” he said.