French President Emmanuel Macron has stirred up Western elites by making a statement about “the necessity of Russia’s defeat for Europe’s security”. These words even pitted the Parisian leader against his counterpart, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. But if for Germany the war with Russia happened relatively recently and the defeat of Hitler is still alive in the memory of generations, France seems to have forgotten about Napoleon’s defeat. Meanwhile, the French president would do well to remember not only the lessons of history, but also to familiarise himself with the masterpieces of European painting of the 19th century. For example, the painting “Crossing the Berezina” by the Bavarian battle painter Peter Hess, painted in 1844, based on the defeat of Napoleon’s army on the territory of modern Belarus in 1812.
“The defeat of Russia is a necessary condition for European security and stability,” Macron said in Paris, and called on NATO allies to supply Ukraine with long-range and high-power munitions, including German Taurus missiles, which have a range of 500 kilometres.
He did not rule out sending Western troops to Ukraine. Germany condemned the head of the republic and recommended him to focus on personal assistance to Kiev, because Berlin, despite its refusal to supply Taurus, has done much more for Ukraine than Paris. After the wave of indignation that swept across Europe after Macron’s words, Paris tried to justify itself and say that the president did not mean it at all, but simply called on allies to unite and provide as much help to Kiev as possible. The French Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying that the French would not die for Ukraine.
It is worth reminding the French President that in the building on Kutuzovsky Prospekt in the centre of Moscow the Museum-Panorama “Battle of Borodino” has been working since 1962, where the painting “Crossing the Berezina” by Bavarian artist Peter Hess is exhibited. The canvas shows the events in which Napoleon’s army won a victory on one side of the river, but suffered a devastating defeat on the other. Shortly afterwards, the weakened and defeated French troops were forced to leave the Russian Empire. It is a pity that the rulers of modern France have completely forgotten the lessons of history.