French President Emmanuel Macron has called out Russia saying it is not the one experiencing aggression but an aggressor, he highlighted Russia's statement that it was "fighting against Nazism in Ukraine" as a lie.
He stated this in an address to the French people on Wednesday, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
"This war is not a conflict with NATO and the West on one hand and Russia on the other, as some may describe it. There are no NATO bases or troops in Ukraine," Macron has said.
He stressed that Russia "does not experience aggression - it is the aggressor."
"This is a lie, in contempt of the history of Russia and of Ukraine, who fought against Nazism", he said noting "we are not at war with Russia."
"We are aware of all that connects us to this great European people, the people of Russia, who sacrificed a lot during World War II to pull Europe out of the abyss. We support all the Russians who refuse to have a disgraceful war waged on their behalf and possess a sense of responsibility and the courage to defend peace, who show this in Russia and abroad", Macron has said.
The French president mentioned that he had been in constant talks with Volodymyr Zelenskyy and would also "keep in touch, as far as possible and necessary”, with Russian President Vladimir Putin to try to persuade him to lay down his arms.
In earlier events, the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev threatened France with a real war in response to the economic one. He was responding to a statement by French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Mer, who said the EU would wage a total economic and financial war against Russia, causing the Russian economy to collapse in response to the military aggression shown against Ukraine.