Nicolas Sarkozy faces a shower of criticism after his position on the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. In an interview with Ouest-France, the Ukrainian ambassador in Paris, Vadym Omelchenko, denounced the “remarks which are not acceptable, both in form and in substance”, made by the former president of the Republic.
In his latest book, Le Temps des combats (Éditions Fayard), Nicolas Sarkozy puts forward several ideas which, according to him, would make it possible to end the war in Ukraine. In particular, he proposes that Ukraine become a “neutral” country by not joining the European Union or NATO. “Ukraine is a link between West and East, it must remain so,” he also told Le Figaro in mid-August.
“I would not be surprised if the Prosecutor General of Ukraine is interested in the comments made to see if there are elements of a crime” under Ukrainian law, even says the Ukrainian diplomat. “For us, it’s a synchronized communication operation [with the Russians],” he said. During the interview, he points out the relations maintained between Russia and certain political leaders, including Nicolas Sarkozy.
In January 2023, Mediapart revealed that the former President of the Republic had received significant sums following very complacent conferences with regard to Vladimir Putin given in Moscow in 2018. Since 2020, Nicolas Sarkozy has also been under the blow an investigation by the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office for having received 3 million euros from a Russian insurance company controlled by two oligarchs.
In addition, the ambassador sharply criticizes the diplomatic action of Nicolas Sarkozy during his term as President of the Republic. It “had as a consequence for Georgia to lose 30% of its territory”, denounces Vadym Omelchenko.
