The moment was meant to be solemn.
Emmanuel Macron successively received his two predecessors, early Wednesday evening at the Élysée, to discuss the situation in Ukraine.
For an hour, he was able to talk with each of them.
At the end of his interview, François Hollande, who went first, spoke of the discussion he had had with the man who was his Minister of the Economy in front of the journalists gathered in the main courtyard.
“There must be the broadest consensus for support for Ukraine, at the level of France and at the European level.
This is what can make Putin think,” he began.
As Paris has been calling for several weeks, “we must all deliver more.
The Germans (must) move faster to keep their commitments.
(…) And more broadly, for Europeans, (we must) not simply get rid of equipment which is not necessarily the most effective,” argued the former socialist president.
For him, the help that Westerners can provide to Ukraine is not only measured in quantity but also in quality.
“The less we say, the better we act”
François Hollande especially returned to Emmanuel Macron's comments at the end of February.
The head of state had estimated that the sending, in the future, of Western troops to Ukraine should not “be excluded”, in order to make it clear to Vladimir Putin that everything will be done to ensure that he loses this war.
“The only possible response is to show that we are with Ukraine in total solidarity (…) without of course participating in any combat ourselves,” reacted the former President of the Republic.
“On military issues, the less we say, the better we act,” said François Hollande after his interview with the head of state.
For him, it is necessary “not to say what we do, but to do what we have not said.
This is what allows us to be most effective and not let Putin know anything about our intentions,” he insisted.
Read alsoSupport for Ukraine: why Emmanuel Macron receives party leaders at the Élysée
This Thursday, Emmanuel Macron continues to consult on the subject, since he receives the leaders of the political parties in the morning.
He must present to them behind closed doors the results of the international conference to increase military support for Ukraine organized last week in Paris.
“I think it will clarify” the positions, commented the head of state during a trip to Prague on Tuesday.
The French strategy will then be the subject of a debate, followed by a vote, in Parliament - next Tuesday in the National Assembly, then Wednesday in the Senate.