“Those who are silent today serve – either against their will or secretly with some complicity – the cause of a new imperialism,” Macron said. In some of his most pointed comments since the start of the war, Macron said Russia’s aggression against Ukraine marked a “return to the era of imperialism and colonialism” and said the world faced a choice between “war and peace”. While Western allies such as France have shown a united front against Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine, the response has been more muted across Africa and Asia. Some countries were reluctant to condemn Russia too strongly, a trend reflected in the UN vote In April, 58 countries, including India, Brazil, South Africa and Indonesia, abstained during a vote on a resolution to suspend the of Russia’s participation in the UN Human Rights Council. Speaking to representatives from around the world, the French president acknowledged the “sense of injustice” felt by countries affected by the consequences of war, related to their food, energy and economies. But he also gave a strong warning to those who want to remain in a position of “neutrality”. “I want to make things very clear today: Those who want to imitate the non-aligned struggle by refusing to speak out clearly are wrong and this will bear a historic responsibility,” he said, referring to the non-aligned movement during the Cold War. In an attempt to show that France is not indifferent to the impact of the conflict on the poorest countries around the world, Macron also announced in his speech that France would finance the transport of Ukrainian wheat to Somalia, in cooperation with the World Food Programme. of the UN. The French president himself has been accused by critics of not supporting Ukraine wholeheartedly, given his decision to keep the lines of communication open with the Kremlin and past comments that he did not want to “humiliate” Russia in the midst of war. Speaking at the UN, Macron said he would continue his “dialogue” with Russia in an effort to “return to peace”.
CORRECTION: This article has been corrected to clarify that countries voted in April to suspend Russia from the UN Human Rights Council.