Russia, a “
neighbor
” described as “
cumbersome and sometimes unbearable
” seems to be at the center of French concerns. "
However, we must find a way to come to an understanding with him (...) and keep the paths of dialogue
", explained Sunday during the Grand Jury RTL-LCI-Le Figaro, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves le Drian, while worrying that the Russian president, is "
in a form of worrying authoritarian drift"
. The signs would be seen in "
the accumulation of Russian border forces of Ukraine"
whose violation of sovereignty would have "
serious consequences"
and in the migratory tensions on the Polish border.
"
This is not a migratory crisis but a geopolitical operation led by a dictator,
" says Jean-Yves Le Drian targeting Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
"
He sought to divide Europe but he failed
", assures the minister, saying "
solidarity with Poland
" which must "
assume the security of the external borders of Europe
".
The will of Warsaw to build a wall on this border does not however seem "
for the moment the appropriate answer
", according to France.
"
Russia must have the means to act."
Wagner's mercenaries are
"predators"
In the Sahel, where France has deployed some 5,000 men, Jean-Yves le Drian is also worried about the intrigues of Moscow, while information indicates a possible landing of mercenaries from the Russian group Wagner. "
It is not possible that Wagner comes to Mali
", said the minister, qualifying the paramilitaries of "
predators
" but refusing to specify the French reaction in case of deployment.
Frictions with the British, especially in the fisheries file, are “
a business that is not over”. "We will fight license after license
", despite the "
exasperating pointillism
" of London. "
It is a problem between the European Union and the United Kingdom not between France and the United Kingdom
", he wants to believe. And to question Prime Minister Boris Johnson, "
a populist who is stepping up maneuvers, mainly with France
" for reasons of internal policies. "
But we are ready for the discussion."
Populism seems to be a matter of concern for the minister even if, he underlines, "
in Europe many countries are held like Germany, Italy or Spain".
"France is not safe
", warns Jean-Yves Le Drian, who castigates "
Mr. Zemmour", "a sower of hatred (...) and a scolder of decline
".
