“It’s a good boon for Putin, we no longer talk about Ukraine,” laments Jean-Yves Le Drian

While the conflict in the Middle East enters a new phase with the truce agreement concluded between Israel and Hamas, the war between Russia and Ukraine continues to remain in the background, deplores Wednesday November 22 on franceinfo the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Yves Le Drian: “It’s a good deal for Putin, we no longer talk about Ukraine”.

The fact that the attention of the international community is directed towards the Middle East is for Russia “a good boon at the media level, at the level of international mobilization for Ukraine, including at the level of the mobilization of Europeans”. For Jean-Yves Le Drian, “it is also good news for him insofar as the military support provided by the Americans, and the Europeans too, to both Israel and Ukraine, risks being a little complicated”in particular because the military capabilities “available are still relatively limited”.

In this context, and with the difficulties facing Kiev, particularly in its counter-offensive, we should not expect the Russian president to decide to end the war, observes the former Minister of Foreign Affairs: “I think that Putin only thinks in terms of the American deadline. We must say that the year 2024 will be a major year in electoral terms. We are going to vote in the United States [présidentielle – Ndlr] and we are also going to vote in Europe for the European elections. Maybe we’ll vote in Ukraine.”.

“That means that Russia considers that the arrival of Trump is possible and, if the arrival of Trump is there, then they will be able to discuss more easily with the Americans to get more of what they want by matter of negotiations on the Ukrainian crisis”analyzes Jean-Yves Le Drian, for whom Vladimir Putin “play the watch”.