‘We’re living the end of Western hegemony’: Macron urges to stop pushing Russia away from Europe

Published time: 27 Aug, 2019 13:11Edited time: 27 Aug, 2019 14:04

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Emmanuel Macron. © Reuters / Pool / Yoan Valat

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned that it would be a “strategic mistake” for Western nations not to change their attitude toward Moscow.

“We are living the end of Western hegemony,” Macron told diplomats on Tuesday, after hosting the G7 meeting in the city of Biarritz on France’s Atlantic coast over the weekend. He named the rise of Beijing and Moscow as signs of a shift on the world scene.

Pushing Russia away from Europe is a profound strategic mistake.

“We’re either pushing Russia into isolation, which increases tensions, or to ally itself with other major powers like China, which would not be in our interest,”Macron said, calling for the “rethinking” of relations with Moscow. Otherwise, Europe will be stuck with “frozen conflicts” and will remain “a theater for strategic struggle between the US and Russia,” he stressed.

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Macron’s rhetoric towards Moscow has somewhat softened in recent months. During cordial talks with Russian leader Vladimir Putin last week, he vowed to do his best to rebuild trust between Russia and the EU.

US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, suggested inviting Putin to attend the G7 event next year, which he will be hosting. He argued that it would be more useful to discuss pressing world issues with Russia, a major player, present at the table.

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The French leader also talked about the “unprecedented crisis” plaguing the global market economy.

The world order is being shaken like never before.

“It’s being shaken because of errors made by the West in certain crises, but also by the choices made by the United States in the past few years – and not just by the current administration.”

These “choices” are impacting “the conflicts in the Middle and elsewhere, making it necessary to rethink military and diplomatic strategies,” the president noted.