Emmanuel Macron doubled down on the controversial statement he made last week as he urged Ukraine’s allies in the West “not to be cowards”.
The French President sparked concerns and criticism in late February after he refused to rule out NATO soldiers could be deployed in Ukraine as the war between Kyiv and Moscow continues to rage.
On March 5, during a visit to the Czech Republic, Mr Macron said he “fully stood behind” those words, adding: “We are surely approaching a moment for Europe in which it will be necessary not to be cowards.”
Speaking after a meeting with his Czech counterpart, Petr Pavel, the French leader asked: “Is this or is it not our war? Can we look away from the belief that we can let things run their course?
“I don’t believe so, and therefore I called for a strategic surge and I fully stand behind that.”
Mr Macron stressed France doesn’t want to escalate tensions with Russia nor wants to be belligerent.
Last month, the French President hosted several EU leaders as well as officials and ministers from the UK, Canada and the US to discuss how to keep supporting war-torn Ukraine.
Speaking after the high-profile gathering, he added: “There is no consensus to officially back any ground troops. That said, nothing should be excluded. We will do everything that we can to make sure that Russia does not prevail.”
The French President’s remarks were disavowed by most of his allies as well as his country’s officials, who insisted boots could be sent on the ground only to back operations such as de-mining rather than to be in the frontline and fight against Russian troops.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stressed last month that the support provided to Ukraine by the military alliance will continue not to involve sending soldiers to the war-torn nation.
He told the Associated Press: “NATO allies are providing unprecedented support to Ukraine. We have done that since 2014 and stepped up after the full-scale invasion. But there are no plans for NATO combat troops on the ground in Ukraine.”
The Western alliance, he added, has the right to “support” Ukraine upholding its right to “self-defence”.
The Kremlin was quick to hit out at Mr Macron’s refusal to rule out sending troops to Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, warned war with NATO would be “inevitable” if the alliance’s troops were to clash with Russian men.
He said: “In this case, we need to talk not about the likelihood, but about the inevitability [of a conflict]. That’s how we evaluate it. These countries must also evaluate and be aware of this, asking themselves whether this corresponds to their interests, as well as the interests of the citizens of their countries.”
