Ukraine: Fillon says he was ‘wrong’ on Putin’s intentions

Patrick Kovarik / Agence France-Presse

Ukraine crisis – “Vladimir Putin is the only culprit who started a conflict that could have happened, which should have been avoided.” Here’s how Francois Fillon Begins Column published this Saturday, February 26 in Sunday newspaperHe is the former prime minister who established relations with the master of the Kremlin and his friend Dmitry Medvedev.

In this text it is assumed: “I have long established a close relationship with Russia.” Writing that was broadcast the day after the announcement His decision to surrender Two controversial terms. Because since June and November 2021 respectively, former candidate In the presidential elections he previously served on the board of directors of two giant Russian companies: Zarubezhneft and Sibur, specializing in hydrocarbons and petrochemicals.

A privileged position did not prevent him from being “mistaken” in the intentions of the Russian president, as he admits. “I kept the memory of the domineering Vladimir Putin, asking his country for rationality,” he explains, believing that “reason” would have prevailed in the head of state’s mind. He called the invasion of Ukraine a “historic mistake” that “threatens European civilization.”

Moreover, from this point of view, since he sees the aggression against Ukraine as an attack on Europe, and therefore on France, François Fillon justifies his resignation, without any remorse for the actions of the two companies. He asserts that “my decision to join them was professional, and the decision to resign today is political,” and even boasts about what serves the “best interests of the country.”

See also on HuffPost: ‘Sanctions should be tougher’: these Ukrainians in France are asking for help