Dialogue With Russia Does Not Mean Weakening Eastern Europe's Position - French President
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday that for France, building a dialogue with Russia in no way meant weakening the position of Eastern European countries
Macron has repeatedly stressed the need to strengthen strategic dialogue with Russia to ensure Europe's security and stability.
"I explained the scope of the dialogue that I wanted to conduct with Russia. This in no way means weakening their [Eastern European nations] positions, on the contrary, it's taking them into account," Macron said at a press conference in London, where the NATO summit is taking place.
The French president added that during meetings with the leaders of Eastern European countries at the summit, he made sure that the security, stability and vital interests of those nations were at the focus of the discussions.
"And this strategic dialogue [with Russia], which needs to be built, will be conducted through constant communication with them, with their consent," Macron noted.
Key issues raised at the two-day summit of the alliance included relations with Russia and China, NATO funding, communications systems and the assent of North Macedonia to the alliance.