Macron says France ready to sustain ‘longer conflict’ in Ukraine

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) - President Emmanuel Macron said Friday that France is ready to sustain "a longer conflict" in Ukraine.

Russia has become a "power of instability and disorder" whose projects in Ukraine must fail, the French president said during a speech at the Munich Security Conference.

"The hour of dialogue has not come yet" with Russia, he said, since Moscow decided to intensify the war.

The French leader also urged an intensification of Western support for Ukraine.

He urged European countries to invest more in defense which he considers the key to maintaining peace on the continent and expressed his plan to organize a conference in Paris regarding Europe's aerial defense by the end of 2023.

"Europe must have its place in the future security order," he said, suggesting the creation of a mechanism that would prevent the "cycle of aggression."

"We also need a framework that prevents crises, including long-term crises on the continent," he said.

Macron also said Europe must remain strong in the short-term and start preparing conditions for peace now.