LONDON – Boris Johnson warned Emmanuel Macron that resolving the conflict in Ukraine now would only lead to “lasting instability”, according to the UK government.
In a British account of the couple’s Sunday meeting at the G7 summit, contested by the Elysee, Downing Street said Johnson had told Macron that this move “would give [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is licensed to manipulate both sovereign countries and international markets in perpetuity. “
In the run-up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the French president was one of the few Western leaders to hold dialogue with Vladimir Putin, and has spoken regularly with the Russian president since the conflict began.
Macron has also warned that Russia should not be “humiliated” by Putin’s “historic and fundamental error.”
An Elysee official said Macron and the British Prime Minister had “reaffirmed their firm determination to support Ukraine in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity and to prepare for the reconstruction of the country.”
But the French side disputed the Downing Street version of events. “No, the Prime Minister [Johnson] did not warn the president [Macron]”Said the official. “They had a discussion about Ukraine, during which the president firmly reaffirmed his determination to support Ukraine.”
Downing Street said Johnson and Macron had agreed that now is a “critical time for the course of the conflict” and that there is “an opportunity to turn the tide in the war.”
The UK leader’s comments come after he urged G7 and NATO allies not to encourage Ukraine to settle for “a bad peace” as Russia’s war drags on.
Clea Caulcutt contributed to the report. This story has been updated with more reports.