Sarkozy criticized for call to compromise with Russia
France's former president Nicolas Sarkozy has stirred outrage in Kyiv and Paris by suggesting Russia's invasion of Ukraine could be ended with new referendums in occupied territories. "The Ukrainians (...) will want to reconquer what has been unjustly taken from them. But if they can't manage it completely, the choice will be between a frozen conflict (...) or taking the high road out with referendums strictly overseen by the international community," Sarkozy told conservative newspaper Le Figaro on Wednesday, August 12.
Speaking particularly about the Crimean peninsula, which Russia claimed to have annexed in 2014, the former French leader said that "any return to the way things were before is an illusion". He added: "An incontestable referendum (...) will be needed to solidify the current state of affairs."
The ex-president insisted that Russian leader Vladimir Putin was "not
irrational" and could be reached with the right kind of diplomacy from
Europe, harking back to Moscow's 2008 invasion of Georgia when Sarkozy
said he "convinced (Putin) to withdraw his tanks".
"Russia is Europe's neighbor and will remain so," he said. "Diplomacy,
discussion and talks remain the only way to find an acceptable solution.
Nothing is possible without compromise."
A former adviser: 'Shameful'
Sarkozy added that Ukraine should remain "neutral" and had no place in
the EU or NATO. The remarks drew an immediate response from Kyiv, with
Mykhailo Podolyak – a senior aide to President Volodymyr Zelensky –
saying they were based on "criminal logic."
"You cannot trade other people's territories because you are afraid of
someone or because you are friends with criminals," Podolyak added.
While in office, Sarkozy had "deliberately participated in a criminal
conspiracy for Russia's seizure of Ukrainian territories," he charged.
The ex-president – who has spent much of his time since leaving office
battling a slew of legal cases – was also attacked at home in France.
Sarkozy "should be considered a Russian influencer," said Julien Bayou, a
senior Green Party MP, telling broadcaster LCI the interview was
"lunatic" and "shocking." Bayou recalled an ongoing investigation into
Sarkozy's lucrative ties to a Russian insurance company on suspicion of
influence peddling and concealing crimes.
Sarkozy's former intelligence adviser Jérôme Poirot told LCI that the
ex-president's words were "shameful". "He has no perspective on what's
happened or on what he did" during his 2007-2012 term, Poirot said,
recalling that Sarkozy was one of the key voices against Georgia and
Ukraine joining NATO in 2008 – which did not prevent Russia's later
invasions of both countries. "What were President Sarkozy's red lines?
What was his vision for France's security? Just giving in to whatever
Vladimir Putin wanted?" he asked.
