Emmanuel Macron has sparked fresh concerns and irritation as he refused once again to rule out sending NATO troops to fight in Ukraine – a move Russia has previously warned would lead to a massive escalation.
The French President said Western allies should not look weak in the face of Vladimir Putin’s aggression as he repeated his commitment to support war-torn Kyiv.
Asked about the prospect of sending Western troops to Ukraine, Mr Macron told French national television TF1 and France 2: “We’re not in that situation today.” However, he added: “All these options are possible.”
The French President, who is the commander-in-chief of his country’s armed forces, refused to say at which point the Elysee would be ready to send troops to Ukraine.
He, however, said France would not lead an offensive into Ukraine against Russian troops, and that it was up to the Kremlin – which ordered the unlawful invasion of Ukraine two years ago – to avoid a devastating escalation.
Attempting to rally Western partners, he added: “Today, to have peace in Ukraine, we must not be weak.”
Mr Macron first raised the prospect of NATO boots to be sent to Ukraine in February, when he held a summit with several EU leaders as well as officials and ministers from Canada, the UK and the US.
Following the meeting, he said there was “no consensus to officially back any grounds troops” but “nothing should be excluded”. He added: “We will do everything that we can to make sure that Russia does not prevail.”
These remarks seemingly sparked alarm among NATO members, with many countries – including Britain – stressing they had no plans to send members of their military to the battlefield to fight alongside Ukrainians.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also said there are “no plans” to include in the support provided to Ukraine by the military alliance combat troops on the ground.
In early March, Mr Macron doubled down on his controversial statement, telling the West “not to be cowards”.
During a visit to the Czech Republic, Mr Macron said he “fully stood behind” his previous statement, adding: “We are surely approaching a moment for Europe in which it will be necessary not to be cowards.”
Despite Mr Macron’s vocal support for Ukraine, analysts have noted the bilateral assistance provided to Kyiv by France is dwarfed by what many other countries have pledged.
The Kiel Insitute for the World Economy has ranked France’s total commitments so far 14th out of Ukraine’s allies, having provided £0.55billion (€0.64bn) in military assistance. For comparison, Germany’s contribution so far is at £15.15bn (€17.7bn).
