French President Emmanuel Macron and U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak held their first meeting in Paris last week and the topic du jour was Ukraine and what it will take for a defeat of Russia. 

TRENDPOST: The meeting was seen as a good sign of a thaw for the two countries after years of bickering. Nothing brings Western countries together faster than a good war.

The Wall Street Journal noted that it was the first summit between the heads of state in five years. They discussed the war, Ukraine’s need for more ammo, and how they hope to develop new long-range missiles. Sunak said the ultimate goal is to give Ukraine a “decisive advantage on the battlefield and for Ukraine to win this war.”

Macron insisted that they are working to make sure the war does not become global. 

The two countries have hit some turbulence in recent years after Brexit, immigration problems, and the AUKUS submarine deal. Macron, had an uneasy relationship with former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, who was also prime minister for a brief time, refused to say during her campaign whether Macron was a friend or foe, The New York Times noted.

Peter Ricketts, a former British ambassador to France, told The Times that Macron and Sunak “were clearly getting on very well.”

“We’re back into a pattern where the leaders can meet in an atmosphere of confidence and trust,” he said.

Sunak announced that Britain will pay France about $651 million over three years to pay the salaries of additional security to help stem illegal migration. Macron has said he wants to have the “best possible relations” with his neighbor, but they need to “fix” the consequences of BREXIT. 

TRENDPOST: The New York Times noted the similarities between Macron and Sunak.

“Both are former investment bankers in their 40s. Both govern countries gripped by strikes, economic dislocation and political anxiety,” the paper wrote.

Yes, members of the Bankster Bandit Gang who are multi-millionaires who do all they can to enrich the rich at the expense of the “common folks.” This is clearly evidenced by Macron’s push, which has been passed by the French Senate, to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64. 

Earn Less, Pay More

The inflation rate in the U.K. hit 10.1 percent in January while pay growth came in at 5.9 percent between October and December year-on-year. Why did inflation rise? Mostly because of the sanctions that politicians put on Russia that has caused surging energy prices. 

Again, corporate media Presstitutes continue to protect their government overlords by refusing to identify another true culprit: COVID-19 lockdowns that destroyed businesses and the human spirit.

Besides these economic hardships at home, both countries continue to provide billions to Ukraine in weapons. The U.K. has provided Ukraine with $5.1 billion in weapons and France has contributed about $3 billion as of 22 February while the U.S. has pledged some $115 billion to Ukraine… as 64 percent of Americans live paycheck-to-paycheck.

Putting Ukraine in the Position to Negotiate

Macron and Sunak said the purpose of providing Ukraine with weapons is to make sure that Kyiv can approach negotiations with Russia from a position of strength. 

“We’re providing training to use those capabilities,” Sunak said. “That’s all underway, as well as just helping defend themselves against the attacks that they’re facing, particularly on their critical national infrastructure. Now, that should be everyone’s focus.”

He agreed with Macron’s earlier statement that the war will eventually end at the negotiating table, but “that’s a decision for Ukraine to make.”

“And what we need to do is put them in the best possible place to have those talks at an appropriate moment that makes sense for them. But at the moment, the priority has got to be giving them the resources, the training, and the support they need to push forward and create advantage on the battlefield,” he said. 

France and the U.K. announced that they will team up to train Ukrainian forces. 

TREND FORECAST: Trends Journal subscribers know that we have been completely opposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine, but the claim that the war was unprovoked could only be believed by someone who only follows the mainstream. (See “TARGET CRIMEA: ZELENSKY READY TO CROSS THE RED LINE” 28 Feb 2023, “U.S. UNDER SEC. VICTORIA ‘FUCK THE EU’ NULAND CALLS CRIMEA A LEGITIMATE TARGET FOR UKRAINE, ANGERS KREMLIN” 21 Feb 2023, and “DOES THE KREMLIN DESIRE THE CONFLICT IN UKRAINE TO SPIN OUT OF CONTROL?” 7 Mar 2023.)

The problem is that nobody knows what a victory would look like. Zelensky continues to say Russian forces need to exit every inch of the country and face war-crime charges. But the former comedian said the war will end in Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. Will the West follow Ukraine to the ends of the earth?

Sergey Aksyonov, the Russian politician acting as head of Crimea, said the peninsula should prepare for war.

“God protects the safe,” he said, Newsweek reported, citing Russian media. “And I always stand in the position: if you want peace, prepare for war. Therefore, we’d better be ready. Both the Crimeans and all of Russia will sleep peacefully in this regard,” he said.

We maintain our forecast that minus a nuclear war, Russia will defeat Ukraine and get what it wants.