French President Emmanuel Macron said that he does not want Russia to be crushed by the defeat in Ukraine.
Speaking to French media, Mr. Macron called on Western countries to increase military support for Kyiv and said he was ready for a protracted war.
“I want Russia to be defeated in Ukraine, and I want Ukraine to be able to defend its position,” he said.
But he spoke out against those who, he said, wanted to spread the war to Russia itself, trying to “destroy” the nation.
The comments came as world leaders gathered at the Munich Security Conference, where they pledged to speed up arms supplies to Kiev and impose tougher sanctions against Moscow.
“I don’t think, like some people, that we should aim for the complete defeat of Russia by attacking Russia on its own territory,” Mr Macron told Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper.
“These observers want, first of all, to crush Russia. This has never been France’s position and will never be ours.”
Speaking at a conference in Munich on Friday, Mr Macron insisted that now was not the time for dialogue with Moscow.
But he did not hesitate to mention peace talks as the ultimate goal.
The president suggested that Ukraine’s military efforts, supported by allies, are the only way “to bring Russia back to the negotiating table and build a lasting peace.”
He also dismissed the prospect of regime change in Russia, calling similar efforts around the world “a complete failure.”
Despite Mr. Macron’s comments, negotiations are a distant prospect for Ukraine’s leaders.
On Friday, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba welcomed the decision not to invite Moscow to the Munich conference.
Russian leaders cannot be invited to the negotiating table as long as “the terrorist state kills, as long as it uses bombs, missiles and tanks as an argument for international policy,” he said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has ruled out immediate talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, insisting there is no “lack of trust” between the two sides. Earlier this week, in an interview with the BBC, he also rejected the idea of giving up the territory in order to conclude a peace agreement with Moscow.
In the past, some NATO allies have criticized Mr. Macron for sending what they believe is an ambiguous position on Ukraine.
Last June, Mr Kuleba condemned him for saying it was important that Russia was not “humiliated by its invasion”.
Mr. Kuleba then replied that Russia, which “humiliates itself”, should be put in its place.
