'Vladimir Putin is not an unpleasant man,' says French President Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said in an interview that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not an unpleasant man. Macron was talking to a group of ‘atypical journalists’ on the autistic spectrum, who playfully grilled the President on his meetings with the Russian leader. 

The interviewers from Le Papotin, that was founded in 1990 in a Paris day care centre for young people with autism, asked Macron about his meetings with the Russian president. “When you meet him like that, he's not unpleasant. That's the paradox,” said Macron. 

He further added, “I think there is nothing to justify starting a war. Basically, he launched this war to recover territories and to extend Russia’s perimeter to the empire that once existed. He took a very heavy responsibility for himself, his people, obviously for the people of Ukraine and for us all. This is how I see things," according to a report in British newspaper Express. 

Macron’s position regarding Russia has come under scrutiny in the past. In June he had called the West not to ‘humiliate’ the Russian president. He said that that bridge must not be burnt so that when the war gets over, they can “build an exit ramp through diplomatic means”.

He had also said that Europe must think of the ‘guarantees’ it will provide Russia when the war is over, which did not go down well with Ukraine. “One of the essential points we must address — as President Putin has always said — is the fear that NATO comes right up to its doors, and the deployment of weapons that could threaten Russia," said Macron. 

However, in more recent days, Macron was one of the first Western leaders to agree to send armoured vehicles to Ukraine. He also told the Ukrainians during this New Year’s TV address that France will help them to victory. 

Also read: 'He will die very quickly': Ukraine's Intelligence head about Russian President Vladimir Putin's health