Russian President Vladimir Putin said Monday (August 7th) that he hoped that the "legacy" of Hélène Carrère d'Encausse, a great French specialist on Russia who died on Saturday, will help improve relations between Moscow and Paris, against the backdrop of conflict in Ukraine.
To discover
- Follow the news about the war in Ukraine with the application of Le Figaro
«
Emeritus scientist and public figure, perpetual secretary of the French Academy, foreign member of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Hélène Carrère d'Encausse was a great friend of our country, proud of her Russian roots, keeping a sincere love and respect for her historical homeland, "greeted Vladimir Putin in a telegram sent to the children of the historian and published on the Kremlin's website. "I remember with emotion the conversations with this great Frenchwoman," he continued, before adding: "I am sure that her intellectual and spiritual heritage will serve to strengthen mutual understanding between our peoples."
" READ ALSO Jean-François Colosimo: "Hélène Carrère d'Encausse firmly cultivated the independence of mind"
Indulgent towards Putin
Author of several biographies including those of Lenin, Stalin and Catherine II, Hélène Carrère d'Encausse, daughter of a Georgian philosopher who emigrated to France, was seen until the launch of the Russian offensive in Ukraine as lenient vis-à-vis Vladimir Putin, whom she met several times. Until the days before this military operation, in February 2022, this specialist on the Soviet Union said she did not believe for a moment in this eventuality. However, his judgment against Vladimir Putin was reversed after the outbreak of hostilities on Ukrainian soil.
The historian had previously spoken on various occasions at the Valdai Club, an international forum in Russia attended until the Covid-19 pandemic and the conflict in Ukraine by Western political and economic leaders.
" READ ALSO Jean-Marie Rouart: "Hélène Carrère d'Encausse embodied the idea of the France"
A national tribute at the Invalides, in Paris, will be paid "before the end of the summer" to Hélène Carrère d'Encausse, who died Saturday in the French capital at 94, also announced the French presidency. In a statement released Sunday evening, Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron evoked "an exceptional destiny, driven by the love of our country, its language and its culture".