Macron Says He Told Putin Russia “Complicit” in “Syrian Chemical Weapons’ Use”

The French president said on Sunday that Paris had convinced the US administration to “stay in Syria long term.”

Macron said on Sunday that the operation against Syria was “legitimate” and conducted within the international community framework. He went on to say that all the missiles launched by French jets as part of the joint strike against Syrian facilities reached all targets. At the same time, Maron said that Paris hasn’t declared a war on Damascus, despite the participation in anti-Syrian strikes.

Macron noted that intelligence services of France and its allies had the evidence that chemical weapons had been used in Syria, noting the legitimate character of military action.

“Strikes on Syria are an act of retaliation, not an act of war,” the French president noted.

All the goals of the strike on Syria were reached, he added.

“From the military point of view our operation was a success,” Macron said in an interview with BFMTV, adding that all was done in a professional way.

Commenting further on the issue, Macron said that the Western strikes had split Turks from Russia in Syria, as Ankara has approved the attack. The French president also said he had told Russian President Vladimir Putin that Moscow is complicit in the alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria. however, he said that Paris considers a dialogue with Russia, Turkey, and Iran on Syria to be a necessary part of the settlement.

France was one of the three countries along with the US and the UK that on Friday hit Syria with missiles in response to the alleged chemical incident in the city of Douma. The Western states have accused forces of Assad of an attack with the use of chemical weapons in Duma. The Syrian leadership denied any involvement in the attack and invited the experts from the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to investigate the reports.

According to the Russian military, the three countries fired over 100 cruise and air-to-surface missiles, most of which were shot down by the Syrian air defense. According to the Syrian authorities, which have repeatedly said they had destroyed chemical weapons stockpiles, the attack damaged the infrastructure and wounded three civilians.

Russia has slammed the strikes as an act of aggression against a sovereign state and President Vladimir Putin said that the attack had been conducted in violation of the international law.

In the meantime, Macron confirmed that he would pay a visit to Russia in May.