Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba slammed French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday for saying Russia should not be humiliated for its invasion of Ukraine. “Calls to avoid humiliation of Russia can only humiliate France and every other country that would call for it. Because it is Russia that humiliates itself. We all better focus on how to put Russia in its place. This will bring peace and save lives,” he wrote. (https://www.newsweek.com/ukraine-official-slams-macron-saying-russia-should-not-humiliated-1712839) Throughout the widely-condemned Russian invasion, Macron has joined most European leaders in backing Ukraine and has sought to balance his support alongside efforts to mediate diplomacy between the two countries as the war continues to rage on. He has also continued dialogue with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an effort to continue diplomacy in a war-torn Europe. During an interview with French media published Saturday, Macron spoke of France’s role in the conflict as a “mediating power,” adding that he does not believe Russia needs to be humiliated by the end of the war. “We must not humiliate Russia so that the day when the fighting stops we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means,” he said, adding that he told Putin that the invasion is a “historic and fundamental mistake for his people, for himself and for history.” United States lawmakers also criticized Macron’s statement on Saturday on social media. Representative Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican, tweeted that the French president is “humiliating himself.” “Russia has already been humiliated, and true to their reputation the French are trying to raise the white flag,” he wrote.