In a three-hour televised interview, Emmanuel Macron made his return to the national spotlight after keeping a low profile of domestic affairs since dissolving the French parliament last year, reports Euronews.
In a highly anticipated televised interview with French TV broadcaster TF1 on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron marked his return to domestic affairs, 10 months after dissolving the French lower house of parliament and plunging the country into political paralysis.
Since last year's snap elections led to a fragmented political landscape and no clear majority, Macron had been confined to a diplomatic role, focusing on international affairs.
But with only two years left before the end of his second and last consecutive term, Macron hopes to make a comeback in the national arena and regain control over domestic issues.
But behind his assertive tone defending his eight-year mandate, the three-hour interview, which included debates with politicians and activists, did not yield any concrete announcements.
With speculation mounting around a possible summit in Istanbul involving Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and US President Donald Trump, Macron said he had “no information on the arrival of the Russian president” but reiterated Europe's objective to: “achieve a 30-day ceasefire on land, air and sea to discuss the issue of territories and security guarantees.”
If the Kremlin refuses the ceasefire, Macron warned, “Europeans will put in place new sanctions against Russia in the next few days.”
However, Macron insisted that “we do not wish to start a third world war.”
He also spoke about a potential peacekeeping force that could be stationed in Ukraine if a peace deal is struck with Russia and said he was open to negotiating with Putin.
Addressing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Macron adopted a sharply critical tone: “What the government of Benjamin Netanyahu is doing today is unacceptable.”
He added, however, that “it is not up to a president to say ‘this is genocide’, but up to historians” when asked whether Israeli military operations in Gaza could be described as a "genocide".
With several European countries, including Germany and Poland, showing interest in France’s nuclear arsenal, Macron confirmed a new phase of European defence discussions. “I will define the framework in a very official way in the weeks and months to come,” he said.
Read more of this report from Euronews.