SHARE
COPY LINK

UKRAINE

Poland criticises France and Germany for being too close to Russia

Poland's deputy prime minister accused France and Germany of having too strong ties to Russia in an interview published Sunday, as he condemned Berlin's behaviour towards Moscow before the invasion of Ukraine.

Poland criticises France and Germany for being too close to Russia
A protester holds a Ukrainian flag during a rally to support Ukraine in Strasbourg, eastern France. (Photo by SEBASTIEN BOZON / AFP)

“Germany, like France, has a strong bias in Moscow’s favour,” Jaroslaw Kaczynski, who is also leader of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, told German daily Die Welt in an interview.

Kaczynski saved his strongest words for Berlin.

“Over the years, the German government did not want to see what Russia was doing under the leadership of (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and we see the result today,” Kaczynski said.

“Poland is not pleased with Germany’s role in Europe,” he added.

He rebuked Berlin for having sought to rebuild what the former 19th century chancellor Otto von Bismarck “had done… German domination but side by side with Russia”.

The Polish deputy prime minister condemned Berlin especially for failing to deliver enough weapons to Ukraine and refusing an embargo at least on the import of oil from Russia.

“It’s important to know that Russia gets four to five times more revenue from its oil sales than gas sales,” Kaczynski said.

READ ALSO: What would Germany do if Russia cuts off the gas supply?

“We cannot continue to permanently support a great power like Russia by paying it billions,” he added.

Before Russia’s invasion on February 24th, Germany imported 55 percent of its natural gas from Russia, half its coal and around 35 percent of its oil.

Macron has previously come under criticism for his relationship with Putin and their close contact. His dealings with the Russian prime minister in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been one such sore point, according to political reports

READ ALSO: French firms under fire for continuing commercial operations in Russia

Meanwhile, France and Germany are preparing for a cut in Russian gas deliveries, France’s economy minister said on Thursday, as Putin warned Moscow will turn off supply for those who refuse to pay in rubles.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

UKRAINE

France charges two Moldovans over coffin graffiti in Paris

French prosecutors on Saturday charged two Moldovans suspected of painting coffins and a slogan urging an end to Ukraine war on the facade of a prominent Paris newspaper, a judicial source said.

France charges two Moldovans over coffin graffiti in Paris

It was just the latest in a series of such acts in the capital in recent weeks. French officials have repeatedly warned of the risks of disinformation and other attacks by Russia over France’s support for Kyiv.

Tension between Paris and Moscow has increased since President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this year he had not ruled out sending troops to Ukraine.

The two men, who carried Moldovan passports, were arrested overnight Thursday-Friday after six red coffins and the phrase “Stop the Death, Mriya, Ukraine” were painted on the building of right-wing daily Le Figaro. Mriya means “dream” in Ukrainian.

They are being held on charges of destruction of property and participating in “an effort to demoralise the army to harm national defence in peacetime”, the source said.

Six similar coffins were found early Thursday on the facade of the Agence France-Presse headquarters in central Paris, not far from the Figaro offices.

A source close to the case said the two Moldovans claimed to have been paid around €100 to paint the graffiti.

A separate investigations has been opened after graffiti showing French Mirage fighter jets in the form of coffins were found last Tuesday in three districts of Paris. They included the phrase “Mirages for Ukraine”.

Similar graffiti was discovered on the walls of the AFP building Monday.

Macron announced in early June that France would send Mirage-2000 fighter jets to Ukraine and train their Ukrainian pilots as part of a new military cooperation with Kyiv.

On June 8, French police said they were holding three young Moldovans suspected of being behind inscriptions of coffins in Paris with the slogan “French soldiers in Ukraine”.

They were later charged with property damage and released.

Moldova’s Foreign Minister Mihai Popsoi posted on X, formerly Twitter: “We regret and firmly condemn the incident”.

He said the “vandalism” was “part of hybrid tactics to harm our international image”.

Popsoi reiterated his comment on Saturday, denouncing an “instigation to hate”.

“We call on Moldovan citizens to be vigilant and not to allow themselves to be manipulated to the detriment of our country.”

SHOW COMMENTS