Macron mulls stripping Putin of Legion d'Honneur

French President Emmanuel Macron has said he might strip his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin of France's top honour, but is waiting for the "right moment" to do so.

France's President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels early Friday, 10 February, 2023. AP - Geert Vanden Wijngaert

Putin received the Grand-Croix de la Legion d'Honneur – the top rank in France's honours system – in 2006 at a time when Moscow enjoyed better relations with Paris and the West.

But since Putin ordered last year's invasion of Ukraine, ties have all but broken down and the European Union has imposed a range of tough economic sanctions.

On Wednesday, Macron awarded Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky the top honour, but he has yet to formally remove it from Putin.  

Hommage à l’Ukraine et à son peuple.
Hommage à toi, cher Volodymyr, pour ton courage et ton engagement. pic.twitter.com/6sN2iVUWrl

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 9, 2023

'Symbolic but important'

Speaking after an EU summit in which leaders considered stepping up weapons deliveries to Kyiv, Macron admitted that the question of Putin's medal was "symbolic but important".

While Macron said he believed he had the right to revoke the honour, he added: "It is not a decision that I made today." 

He added that such decisions "are always meaningful and I think you have to appreciate the right moment to make them".

Macron also noted that he has rescinded the honour in the past – Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein was stripped of his Legion of Honour award in the wake of widespread sexual misconduct allegations against him in 2017.

Disgraced cyclist and former Tour de France star Lance Armstrong also had his French Legion of Honor award revoked.

• Zelensky attends EU summit to press for more weapons, fighter jets
• French President Macron hosts Ukrainian leader Zelensky in Paris

Macron considers fighter jets for Kyiv

Meanwhile, the French President said he would not rule out sending fighter jets to Ukraine at some point, but that Kyiv was in need of more immediate military firepower, as a fresh Russian offensive is underway.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has long urged Ukraine's allies to send jet fighters and on Thursday said that several European leaders were ready to supply aircraft.

Speaking in Brussels, Zelensky said "Europe will be with us until our victory. I've heard it from a number of European leaders...about the readiness to give us the necessary weapons and support, including the aircraft."

Such a move would be one of the biggest shifts yet in Western support and Moscow has warned it would escalate and prolong the conflict.

When asked about the possibility of sending jets at the end of a summit of EU leaders, Macron said "I exclude absolutely nothing."

But the French president underlined that the current priority was to help Ukraine in the weeks and months ahead, and fighter jets could not be delivered in that timeframe and it would take time to train Ukrainian pilots to fly them.

Macron added the priority should be on items such as artillery, which had proven to be effective and on which Ukrainian forces were already trained.

He said it might be necessary to intensify delivery of such items and Ukraine’s allies would examine this possibility in the coming days.

As the anniversary of Russia's invasion approaches on 24 February, Kyiv has predicted an aggressive onslaught from Moscow aimed at notching territorial gains it can trumpet at the one-year mark, after months of little movement.