The French Defence Minister expressed to Euronews doubts regarding Russia’s genuine intention for peace after her recent visit to Ukraine, while underscoring the necessity of maintaining dialogue with Moscow.
In a conversation with Euronews, French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin cast doubt on whether Russia truly seeks a peace agreement with Ukraine, given the ongoing Kremlin-led strikes against the nation.
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Vautrin’s first visit to Ukraine since her appointment last October took place last week. She recounted numerous alarms warning of imminent assaults and the attacks that happened during her stay.
“The night I traveled between Poland and Kyiv, alerts sounded in the west; attacks targeted energy infrastructure once again. On the train returning to Lviv, there were alerts as well—this reflects a constant reality,” she stated.
“Witnessing this situation firsthand raises the question: do the Russians genuinely want peace?” Vautrin added.
Nevertheless, she praised the efforts by the United States, alongside Ukraine, to engage Russia in negotiations aimed at a peace settlement.
Last week, trilateral talks took place in Abu Dhabi with the objective of ending the conflict. Although no major breakthroughs were reported, the two-day meeting resulted in a new prisoner exchange deal and an agreement on further discussions.
Following these talks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the US set a June deadline for Ukraine and Russia to reach an agreement and confirmed Ukraine’s acceptance of a US invitation for a new round of peace talks next week. Russia has yet to respond.
Vautrin stressed that European leaders must participate in forthcoming negotiations. “Because, as is well-known, particularly within the Coalition of the Willing, we must be present to ensure that once hostilities end—through either a ceasefire or, ideally, a peace treaty—we will guarantee security conditions.”
‘Missiles hold critical importance for Ukraine’
During her stay in Ukraine, Vautrin was shown the combat posts of the nation’s anti-aircraft missile units and the missile deterrent infrastructure of the armed forces.
She pointed out that missiles remain the most needed weapons for Ukraine. “Air battles are critical. This was President Zelenskyy’s primary request: to communicate the urgent need for missiles,” she explained.
She mentioned that this missile demand was part of discussions at a NATO ministerial meeting in Brussels on Thursday.
“Together with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, we conducted a roundtable with all attending ministers, starting with the question: How can one persuade their prime minister to commit further?”
She highlighted that France’s current prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, formerly served as defence minister and comes from a military background.
Vautrin noted that the bigger picture encourages all European nations to “understand that defending Ukraine equates to defending Europe.”
“It is crucial for all Europeans to realize that the security of the continent is inherently linked to Ukraine’s security.”
The French defence minister dismissed claims that repeated alerts from senior French military leaders about a possible war with Russia are exaggerated or alarmist.
France’s top general faced criticism for his warnings that the country must be prepared to “lose its children” in light of the Russian threat.
Fabien Mandon, Chief of the Defence Staff of France, reignited debate last November following comments to local mayors about the extent to which France and its European allies need to prepare for the conflict in Ukraine.
“When conflict occurs on European soil, preparation for high-intensity warfare is essential,” Vautrin affirmed. “The best way to prevent conflict is by thorough preparedness, and that is precisely our approach.”