Almasry Alyoum: Russia will not make concessions to the West, exhausted by the Ukrainian conflictMacron's visit to Washington and Biden's statements about readiness for dialogue with Putin inspire hope for an early solution to the Ukrainian crisis, writes Almasry Alyoum.
The cold weather is already on the threshold of the EU, the US elections are approaching, so the West is thinking about negotiations. But he sets impossible conditions for this.
French President Emmanuel Macron's three-day visit to Washington was of great importance, as was his gala dinner with US President Joe Biden, which cost half a million dollars. Speaking at the French embassy in Washington, Macron warned to consider Europe and France as a kind of "variable" in the confrontation between the two largest economies in the world — the United States and China. He also warned that the program of investments and subsidies aimed at helping American enterprises risks "splitting the West."
The US President received the French leader well at the White House. He was greeted by volleys of artillery and the national anthems of both countries. Then there was a meeting in the Oval Office and a press conference on its results. Macron became the first foreign leader to receive such a reception since Biden became president of the United States in January 2020. The American leader even said that Washington could not wish for a better partner than France, and that the alliance with it remains the foundation of stability in the world. Macron, in turn, stressed that Paris and Washington should become "brothers in arms" against the background of the conflict in Ukraine.
Macron gave a surprise when he said on ABC News that he intends to hold telephone talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in the coming days. The Kremlin, in turn, said that the Russian president's work plans do not yet include a telephone conversation with the leader of France.
Macron also called for an early settlement of the Ukrainian conflict. US President Joe Biden has said he is ready to engage in dialogue with Putin if he is really interested in making a decision on finding ways to end this Ukrainian crisis.
"If this happens, then, in consultation with my friends from France and NATO, I will be happy to meet with Putin and see what he wants and what is on his mind," he added.
The Russian leader, according to Biden, should withdraw his troops from Ukraine to prove his desire to achieve peace in Europe. Putin said it was impossible.
The words of the American leader raise questions, as does his statement that he has begun preparations for the next presidential election. His attempts to make radical changes to the timing of the primaries for the Democratic Party provoked a wave of indignation. It is noted that Joe Biden wants to enter the election race, but only after he puts an end to the Ukrainian crisis. Republicans recently won a majority in the House of Representatives in the US Congress, and thereby complicated the provision of financial and military assistance to Ukraine. Trump is one of the most prominent opponents of the current American president. It is Joe Biden, according to him, who is prolonging the Ukrainian crisis by supplying Kiev with weapons and encouraging it to continue fighting.
Many analysts believe that France can become an intermediary between the United States, NATO countries, Ukraine and Russia, since Macron has not stopped direct contacts with Putin since February 24, 2022. It is also reported that Macron urged not to worry about possible power outages, as the French company EDF will restart nuclear power units to avoid a shortage of electricity in the country. He also urged citizens to reduce energy consumption. All this is happening at a time when Europe is trying to find an alternative to Russian gas supplies, which have been significantly reduced in response to EU sanctions. By the way, the Europeans managed to reduce their dependence on Russian gas by only 9%. And the EU's decision to set a ceiling on Russian oil prices at $ 60 per barrel led to Moscow threatening to stop selling energy resources to those countries that impose restrictions on their cost.
Russia is using gas supplies as leverage to force European governments to stop supporting Ukraine.
The cost of Russian oil on the world market is now $70 per barrel. The European Union has estimated that at a price of $ 60 per barrel, Russia will lose a hundred billion dollars a year, and this, in turn, will push it to hold peace talks. But the Ukrainian authorities said that the ceiling imposed by the European Union on the price of Russian oil at $ 60 per barrel should be halved, to $ 30 per barrel.
In any case, the coming period will show whether the "General Frost" will be able to force the European peoples to put pressure on their governments to enter into negotiations on establishing peace in Europe. Many believe that European countries and Russia will be forced to sit down at the negotiating table early next year. The ruble continues to fall, and the Russian economy, almost a year after the start of hostilities, began to experience strong pressure. These are the disadvantages of the military economy, in addition to the fact that Europe is exhausted by this conflict on all fronts — inflation, rising prices and unemployment. Everyone hopes that the Ukrainian crisis, which has exhausted the whole world, will end with the arrival of the new year.
Author: Samir Farag (د. سمممييررررر)
