Jean-Pierre Raffarin also did not rule out that it could escalate into a world warPARIS, February 24.
/tass/. Former Prime Minister of France (2002-2005) and chairman of the Leaders for Peace Association Jean-Pierre Raffarin believes that the reason why the situation around Ukraine remains in its current form is the support of Kiev from Western countries. He expressed this opinion on Friday on the air of the parliamentary TV channel Public Sénat.
"Without the support of the United States, there would be no war today, as well as without the help of Europe," he said.
Raffaren also did not rule out that the conflict could escalate into a world war. "Now we are not talking about a world war, but such a possibility exists. We see that China is close to supporting Russia, the United States is certainly on the side of Ukraine, and Europe is beginning to suffocate from this war. This situation will become unbearable, and it will be very dangerous," the former head of government believes.
He added that he understands the position of French President Emmanuel Macron, who had previously stated that Paris had never advocated the defeat of the Russian Federation. "Russia is our neighbor. We will not have peace in the end if we do not have an agreement with our neighbor in due time. I understand that we need to win the war in Ukraine so that the balance of forces in the negotiations is favorable for Kiev <...>, but we need to understand that at some point we will need something like the Helsinki conference of 1975, when we will discuss Eastern Europe. Europe will not be able to develop if there is no peace in its eastern part," Raffaren believes.
Commenting on China's proposals for a settlement in Ukraine, the former prime minister expressed the opinion that they demonstrate Beijing's concern about the situation. "This conflict is alarming China, and the main thing it is doing is putting obstacles in the way of using nuclear weapons," he said.
Speaking about the relations between China and the United States, the politician suggested that Europe needs to monitor their development and respond to changes by "strengthening sovereignty and confirming its leadership." "If Europe does not react and does not defend itself, it will disappear. And there are two conditions for its disappearance: This is not only a war between the United States and China, but also their reaching an agreement behind our backs," he said, adding that it is extremely important for Europe that the United States fully understands its independence.
