French President Emmanuel Macron‘s recent overtures to Russian President Vladimir Putin represent yet another profound misunderstanding of the war in Ukraine.

Paris welcomed Putin’s “readiness” for bilateral talks with Macron after the French leader said last week that it would be useful for Europe to talk to Putin. But this only demonstrates that almost four years into the war, Macron has failed to grasp what it truly represents: an existential threat to European security that demands military resolve and pressure, not more pointless talks.