A decisive ally. What is known about Emmanuel Macron and how his stance on Ukraine has evolved over time.

Over the past few years, French President Emmanuel Macron has become one of Ukraine's most active allies and was the first to propose the introduction of Western troops. Meanwhile, he is currently attempting to navigate a political crisis in his own country.

For more details about the French leader's biography and how he supports Ukraine, refer to the article by RBK-Ukraine.

Biographical Facts

Yesterday, on December 21, Emmanuel Macron turned 47 years old. He was born in the city of Amiens in northern France to a family of doctors. He attended a local secondary school, but spent his final year studying at an elite high school in Paris.

Later, Macron earned a master's degree in philosophy from Nanterre University. He also obtained a master’s degree in public administration and economics from the Paris Institute of Political Studies. He interned at the French embassy in Nigeria through the National School of Administration program.

Since childhood, Emmanuel Macron played the piano. He was interested in theater and participated in a school club, where he met his future wife, Brigitte Trogneux, a French teacher and theater studio leader. He was 15 years old at the time, while she was 39.

3Photo: Emmanuel Macron with his wife Brigitte (facebook.com/elysee.fr)

Due to their age difference, Macron's parents initially tried to prevent the relationship, sending him to Paris to finish his last year of school. However, in 2007, the couple reunited and has been together ever since. They do not have children together, but Brigitte has three children and seven grandchildren from her first marriage.

"Mozart in Finance"

Emmanuel Macron's career began in public service. For four years, he served as an inspector at the General Inspectorate of Finance within the Ministry of Economy. In 2008, he transitioned to the banking sector and began working at Rothschild & Cie Banque.

At Rothschild, Macron was in charge of the acquisition of Pfizer's baby food division by Nestlé for 9 billion euros, which made him a millionaire. From 2010 to 2012, he earned a total of $2 million. During those years, the press referred to Macron as the "Mozart of finance."

The Youngest President of France

In 2006, Emmanuel Macron met French politician François Hollande and served as his unofficial business advisor. When Hollande won the presidential election in 2012, Macron was appointed Deputy Secretary-General of the Élysée Palace and economic and financial advisor.

In 2014, Macron was appointed Minister of Economy, Industry, and Digital Affairs. He developed a bill that was named after him – the "Macron Law." The initiative aimed at liberalizing certain sectors of the economy, such as opening the bus transport sector to competition and allowing shops to operate on Sundays.

A year later, Macron resigned from the government and declared himself an independent politician.

In 2016, he launched his own political movement, "La République En Marche!" claiming that his party did not align with either left or right ideologies. Given that only 12% of French citizens (according to a 2016 survey) trusted traditional political parties, this was a winning strategy.

4Photo: Macron became the youngest president of France (Getty Images)

In the 2017 presidential election, he won in the second round against opponent Marine Le Pen with 66% support. Thus, at the age of 39, Emmanuel Macron became the youngest president of France.

In 2022, he faced Le Pen again in the presidential race and won this time with 58.5% of the votes.

As the head of France, Macron is also one of the two co-princes of Andorra.

Reforms, "Yellow Vests," and Political Crisis

During his presidency, Macron initiated a number of reforms, some of which were met with mixed reactions from the public and led to mass protests.

In particular, he began a reform of labor legislation aimed at reducing unemployment and increasing the economy's competitiveness. The process for resolving labor disputes and conditions for dismissing employees was simplified. Although the initiative was not popular among the public, the unemployment rate did decrease.

One of Macron's primary goals was to reduce the number of civil servants, which also sparked outrage among public sector workers, leading to protests and strikes.

In 2018, the French leader was forced to declare a state of economic and social emergency in the country due to the "yellow vests" protests.

French citizens took to the streets against rising fuel prices and taxes. Activists demanded higher salaries and pensions, as well as the reinstatement of a progressive wealth tax. Protests intermittently escalated throughout 2019 and 2020.

Despite weeks of strikes, the French president managed to pass a law raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 last year on his second attempt.

Macron consistently advocates for the modernization, transformation, and expansion of the country's armed forces. In 2023, he signed a law increasing military spending by 40% to a total of 413 billion euros over the next seven years.

5Photo: The president of France faced a political crisis (Getty Images)

After being re-elected for a second term, Macron encountered difficulties in forming a stable parliamentary majority, and in the summer of 2024, he dissolved the National Assembly and called for early parliamentary elections.

A government was formed in September, but on December 5, the parliament declared a vote of no confidence against him. This was the first time in 62 years, underscoring the deep political instability in the country.

On December 13, Macron appointed François Bayrou, the leader of the liberal party "Democratic Movement," as the new Prime Minister, who is part of the pro-presidential political coalition "Together."

Macron's Position on the War in Ukraine

Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion, Emmanuel Macron's attitude towards Ukraine has significantly changed.

Before the war, he advocated for diplomacy and enhancing the work of the Normandy format. On February 7, 2022, he traveled to Moscow and held six-hour negotiations with the Kremlin leader.

Following the meeting, Emmanuel Macron stated that Vladimir Putin promised him "not to start new military maneuvers at the borders of Ukraine." The next day, the French president traveled to Kyiv to meet with Volodymyr Zelensky. This was the first visit by a French leader to Ukraine in 24 years.

6Photo: At the beginning of the war, Macron maintained dialogue with Putin (kremlin.ru)

On February 24, 2022, Emmanuel Macron condemned Russia's aggression and emphasized Vladimir Putin's responsibility for the onset of the conflict. He expressed support for Ukraine, acknowledging the courage of the Ukrainian people and President Volodymyr Zelensky.

At the same time, in the initial months of the war, the French leader sought to maintain dialogue with Moscow, holding several phone conversations with Putin. Macron referred to himself as a "responsible leader" who had tried the longest to persuade Putin to halt his aggression against Ukraine.

In June 2022, Emmanuel Macron visited Ukraine alongside German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi to demonstrate "European unity."

During a trip to Irpin, he stated that nations remaining neutral in the Russian-Ukrainian war had made a historic mistake and had become complicit in new imperialism. Macron also emphasized that "France stands with the Ukrainian men and women without any ambiguity."

7Screenshot x.com/EmmanuelMacron

Subsequently, the French leader's position on the war in Ukraine became even more active. He advocated for the transfer of modern weapons and criticized other allies for delaying military assistance. France also became one of the countries that allowed Ukraine to strike Russian territory with long-range weapons.

Macron believes that lasting peace is only possible on the condition of a return to internationally recognized borders of Ukraine, including Crimea. He supported Ukraine's aspiration to join the European Union and stated that France would not oppose Ukraine's invitation to NATO.

8Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron (Getty Images)

At the beginning of 2024, his statement about the possibility of sending NATO troops to Ukraine caused a stir. Currently, Emmanuel Macron continues to work on the issue of a peacekeeping mission and is negotiating with allies.

The French leader notes that the security of Europe is at stake in the war between Russia and Ukraine, and therefore allies must be prepared for decisive actions: "If Russia continues its escalation, if the situation worsens, we must be ready to