Putin received the Grand-Croix de la Legion d’Honneur in 2006.
Brussels:
French President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday he could strip his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of France’s highest honor, but was waiting for the “right time” to do so.
Putin received the Grand-Croix de la Legion d’Honneur, the highest rank in the French honor system, in 2006 at a time when Moscow had better relations with Paris and the West.
But since Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine last year, relations have almost broken down and the European Union has imposed a series of tough economic sanctions.
On Wednesday, Macron gave Putin’s nemesis Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the highest honor, but he has yet to formally strip it of Putin.
Speaking after an EU summit in which leaders considered increasing arms transfers to Ukraine, Macron acknowledged that the question of Putin’s medal was “symbolic but important”.
However, while Macron said he believes he has the right to revoke the honor, he added: “It’s not a decision I made today.”
These decisions “always make sense, and I think you have to appreciate the timing to make them,” he said.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
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