Russia – Ukraine – Interview with Christophe Lemoine, Deputy Spokesperson of the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, in duplex with “LCI” (Paris, 18.03.2024)

Q- I would like us to take Christophe Lemoine online, who is waiting for us from the Quai d’Orsay. You are spokesperson for the Quai, thank you for being with us. I would now like to share with you Washington’s response to the election of Vladimir Putin. It is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that has just communicated, denouncing, and I quote, “an incredibly undemocratic process”; previously we had some of his opponents saying: “we must denounce this illegitimacy of Vladimir Putin”. Of course, France did not congratulate Vladimir Putin, that is clear. We must go further?

R- Good evening. Listen, yes, regarding the results of the operation that took place yesterday in Russia and which the minister rightly described as a special election operation, if not as a real election, because it was an election without real opponents, since Vladimir Putin eliminated all opponents . that were a bit serious, as we saw with Alexei Navalny, there was repression of civil society, and also of the media. So it was a process that was not very open, not very fair and not very pluralistic. We cannot congratulate Vladimir Putin on the end of a process that was known; I don’t think last night’s result was a surprise at all. But it was his will and Vladimir Putin did everything he could to block this process. So yes, there were no congratulations in Paris for an election that was completely closed, without any foreign observers.

Q- Christophe Lemoine just gave a speech on Red Square and he welcomed the return to the homeland of these Ukrainian territories he occupies. So we are talking about Crimea, as it is the tenth anniversary of the annexation of Crimea, of the occupation of Crimea, more precisely: “Donbass too, we did it, we will move forward together,” he says. Should the discussions, or at least the reflections, if there are any, discussions probably not yet, be conducted on this basis, on the basis of the territories currently occupied by Russia?

R- Vladimir Putin has been pursuing a fairly strong aggressive strategy for a decade. It started with Crimea in 2014 and continued with the areas of Eastern Ukraine and Donbass from winter 2022. These are areas illegally occupied by Russia, and furthermore, the electoral operations carried out in these areas are not legitimate. This aggressive strategy must indeed be the subject of a response, namely that the disputed territories are in any case Ukrainian territories, which Vladimir Putin is trying to conquer by force.

Q- “Try to seize by force”, for some, he almost succeeded, Crimea has been occupied by the Russians for ten years. Back then we didn’t move much.

R- Yes, but again the reaction takes place gradually. But this is one point that is certain, namely that Ukraine is a sovereign country with recognized borders and that Ukraine is entitled to full sovereignty over its territory.