Emmanuel Macron offers to grant asylum to the Russian journalist who held up a sign denouncing the war in Ukraine

“We will launch diplomatic steps aimed at offering protection, either at the embassy or also asylum protection”. President and candidate Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will offer asylum to Russian journalist Marina Ovsiannikova, arrested on Tuesday after holding up a sign denouncing the invasion of Ukraine during a television newscast on Tuesday March 15, during of his visit to Ukrainian refugee center from La Pommeraye (Maine et Loire). He also said he wanted “propose this solution” to Vladimir Putin during their next meeting.

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“I want to thank all the associations which, in France, work intoday to welcome refugees from Ukraine”said the candidate for re-election. “These women and men are fleeing across Europe and I know that our duty is to be able to welcome and protect them in the best possible conditions”he added.

Emmanuel Macron also clarified that thein France is “in a position to accommodate at least 100,000 Ukrainians”, and has made a particular commitment to Moldova to take in some of the refugees there. As a reminder, nearly 340,000 people have arrived in this country of 2.7 million inhabitants since February 24, although some have since gone to Romania.

During the sequence of questions posed by journalists, Emmanuel Macron swept away one of them regarding the Disclose site survey, which revealed on Tuesday that French companies had continued to deliver military equipment to Russia in recent years. It’s only about “end of contract”argues Emmanuel Macron, recalling that France has respected the ban on concluding new contracts decided by the EU in 2014.