After French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France and its European partners are to begin a military withdrawal from Mali after more than nine years fighting a jihadist insurgency, FRANCE 24 speaks to Belgium's prime minister. Alexander De Croo calls the French-led pullout "unfortunate" and insists it is "important to not break any ties with Mali. We are very concerned about the political developments, but the moment you break ties, we don't have any influence anymore. It's important for the Sahel region to get stabilised."
On the ongoing Ukraine-Russia crisis, De Croo points out the "surprising unity among EU and NATO" in confronting the potential threat against Kyiv and urges a real de-escalation – "words are easy but we need to see actions".
