Turnaround: We don't want to start World War III; "We are ready for negotiations"

"We don't want to start a third world war. A truce is what enables the best humanitarian situation and the beginning of talks that will enable the resolution of territorial issues," said the French leader in a TV address on TF1, reports Le Monde.

According to him, the sanctions introduced by the Western allies could be applied "in the next few days".

"I cannot tell you whether Vladimir Putin will visit Turkey. We are waiting for Russia's response. What is at stake in Ukraine is our security. We want a ceasefire on land, sea and in the air for 30 days. Russia wants the ceasefire to be discussed in Turkey. We want to implement sanctions against Russia in the coming days, in agreement with the United States of America," said the French president.

He pointed out that the first guarantee of security is a strong Ukrainian army.

"To deter Russia from returning to Ukraine in two or three years, we will continue to invest... In the coming years, we will have to continue to train, equip and support Ukraine to have its own forces," he added.

Macron recalled that he proposed that all "allies who are ready - this is the case with the British, the French and some others" to place pre-positioned "reassurance forces" along the front line.

"It would be a force that would deter Russia from continuing any conflict," he said.

Asked about establishing a "war economy", Macron said that since his election in 2017, France had "two laws on military programming".

"In 2017, the French military budget was slightly more than 32 billion euros. It is currently 50 billion. Our great luck is that we started before the others. We focused where it was necessary. We produce three times more 'Rafale', three times more 'Caesar' guns. In recent weeks, we have been trying to mobilize private investors," he said.

Speaking on the subject of Europe's nuclear deterrent, Macron said France would not pay for the security of others.

"I want to start a debate, but France will not pay for the security of others, it will not be a deduction from what we have, and the final decision will always be - France. We are ready to open a discussion, especially about the deployment of aircraft armed with nuclear bombs in other European countries," concluded Macron.